Incandescence
by IvyXLacrimosa
Summary: If things had started just a little differently, would the outcome have changed? Was there even a chance of him staying in the light and her not seeking him through the dark? Or would they simply destroy each other? • SasuSaku, Time Travel •
1. Prologue: Reverse

_Summary:_

_If things had started just a little differently, would the outcome have changed? Was there even a chance of him staying in the light and her not seeking him through the dark? Or would they simply destroy each other?_

_Sasusaku_

_Rating: T for Language and Violence_

_Time travel, Semi-Dark_

_Tragedy, Angst, Romance, Action_

* * *

**_Incandescence _**

**_Prologue_**

**_[Reverse]_**

* * *

She'd often wondered about the worst outcomes for the future: what if they couldn't stop the Akatsuki, or defeat Madara, or, most disturbingly, _what if they couldn't save Sasuke?_

She would admit it: she was actually quite the pessimist. Not that she'd ever admit it out loud, but really, who wouldn't after all she'd been through? She had faced S-class criminals, spent years training to bring back her missing teammate, and watched friends die right in front of her.

In her life, there had been two things driving her on.

The first and foremost was the people of Konoha, the people she fought to protect and loved with all her heart. From Naruto, to Tsunade, to Ino on down, she would do anything for any of them in a heartbeat, no matter the cost. She'd almost killed herself many times over the years doing just that, but she didn't regret any of those instances.

There were _other_ instances though, that she did regret. She regretted not being able to save Lady Chiyo all those years ago and her parents when the village had been attacked a few weeks ago. She regretted her coldness toward Ino the weeks after that, especially after Inoichi had been killed during the earlier part of the war.

She regretted not killing Uchiha Sasuke when she had the chance.

That thought was not to be taken at surface value. She loved him, and wanted nothing but for him to simply _stop_ with these terrible acts, these horrifying actions. It pained her to see him fall so far, and it pained her even further that no one had been able to reach him yet. As much as they tried, Naruto, Kakashi, and herself, they could not catch him, not latch onto him to drag him back out of the abyss he was tumbling down into.

Undoubtedly, he was in enough pain to kill most people, drive them past insanity, and ruin their lives. He had truly endured so much more than any person could understand; even she would admit that she struggled to grasp the agony he'd lived through. Naruto was the only one who had a sense of the pure hate that could come forth in life, though the source was different. The affect was the same, whether either would admit it. Hate lead to revenge, vengeance, destruction, a cycle that brought forth pain to all involved. The only way to stop it was with love.

Then again, _love_ was the cause of the problem to begin with. Because Uchiha Sasuke had loved his family, he strove to avenge them. Because he loved his brother, the betrayal hurt, and the lies and true situation hurt even more. She didn't have to be a prodigy or genius to see that.

Yet, with the cycle that those around her were involved with, how could she not feel that same hate? Why did she only fear sorrow in the face of anger, why only grief in the face of rage? Why could she not give up on _him_?

She didn't know if it was the whole reason, but she knew part of it was because she loved him.

That was her fatal flaw: her unfaultable loyalty.

And so, defeated and weary, broken and battered, the world falling apart around her as it was broken apart by this war and hate and resentment, she felt nothing but a strange melancholy and regret.

She had given up trying to climb to her feet again. There was no use in doing so now, she had no chakra left, her body ached with exhaustion, and her body was bruised and covered in blood, not all of it hers. Her soon to be killer walked forward, the stride of a predator that held not a shred of pity toward its prey.

Her knees groaned in protest as she straightened, for her hands no longer supported part of her weight. Sharp debris, pieces of stone, weapons, glass, anything imaginable that could litter the battlefield, dug into where her bare legs sat on the ground. Her face was sticky with sweat and blood, and her heart beat such a sporadic rhythm, a rhythm that matched the way her sight seemed to pulse, wavering constantly.

Around her, bright flashes lit up the world around her, followed closely by the blast of explosions and suffocating shock waves. Chakra wavered and flickered and fluctuated around her as people fought, died, and were torn apart by a madman and his army of mindless replicas of past loved ones and enemies.

Despite the fact that she was in the center of a rather large pile of rubble, the epicenter of an explosion and former piece of forest, she was almost alone. _Almost_, but not quite alone, it was her, and her opponent.

His face held the emotion of a sociopath, living up to the reputation he'd built for himself over the past few years. The grin that twisted his darkly handsome features contradicted the emptiness in his eyes, telling her that he truly was gone, that he was a mere shell of who he'd been.

He came to a stop in front of her, no worse for wear while she was the opposite. His beloved chokutō hung loosely in his fingers, snapping and sparking with his energy. Blue streaks danced around the blade, lighting up the dim, gray and brown world that was simply _war_.

He looked down on her, his eyes, the deepest black, and no need for a Sharingan now, half hidden by dark lashes. His aristocratic features were that of royalty, the darkest prince of them all. Dark hair framed the sharp cheekbones and framed those thin lips pulled into the most evilly wicked smile possible.

Uchiha Sasuke stood before her, as dangerous as a wild beast, but empty as a shattered soul. He stood before her with the intent to kill, and she knew then that this was the end. For even if he wasn't the man she'd known, she could not raise a hand against him. Not that it mattered if she had wanted to or not; she was far too tired, the grief almost as stifling as the aura he excluded.

So, as she watched with ever bright green eyes, which could no longer seem to be able conjure tears, he raised his blade to kill her. Her shoulders could not hold their prideful stature, for his stare was piercing through that last piece of pride she'd held onto.

Her gaze left the blade held high over her head to meet his eyes. There was nothing there; he had fallen too far into that abyss. No one could save Uchiha Sasuke. He had been consumed by his demons, shattered by lies and the grief that no person should have to hold.

And so, as the wind blew dirty strands of shoulder length pink hair into her eyes, she stared unflinchingly. There was nothing else to do but accept the failure.

As the blade came down, maniacal laughter bubbled in his throat, filling the silence in the little devastated world around them. Her eyes held not fear, only sorrow for the man standing before her.

And as he truly ripped her heart to shreds, not just with words, but with actions, Haruno Sakura felt a sadness that encompassed the pain, making it more bearable. Even as the brilliant spring green eyes faded of their incandescence, her ears still rang with that laughter, and it roared in her ears like the greatest weight.

That was not Uchiha Sasuke. She had failed, failed to stop him, save him, _heal _him. Then again, had he even been her's to heal in the first place? He hadn't, but that didn't stop her from attempting.

Even if she was the one dying, he had been in more pain: that she was sure of.

Haruno Sakura knew nothing but regret at her actions.

_But really, could it have ended any other way?_

* * *

In a world connected and somehow separate to that of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, there sat a man in the midst of darkness. This part of his world held no shape, no form, merely containing him and the throne he sat on.

Otherwise, it was a dimensionless, starry world, a black canvas dotted with the swirl of stars, luridly bright color that varied from gold to a pink not unlike the kunoichi Haruno Sakura's hair. Even though these lights flashed and flickered like fire, nothing else moved, no stars shot across the sky, no aspect of it changed as you moved around the empty space. It was stagnant, set in stone.

The throne where this lone man was seated was intricate, a solid, looming shape cast in intricate and ornate gold and bronze. It had a wide, solid base and back, which rose up and arched off in nine different spirals which ultimately rose higher above the chair itself. The cushioned back and seat were covered in the silkiest red possible; it threw off a shine that almost matched that of the stars. Adorning the filigree swirls along the arms and sides were rubies, gleaming red gems burning and flickering as if they were fire itself. They were larger than any gem should be, though their authenticity could never be questioned.

The man seated with the posture of a king on the throne was no less immaculate or out of place in the dark world. He would have stood well over six feet had he risen from his seat and he had the lean shape and broad shoulders of a powerful man. His hair was long and straight, the same fiery color as the chair and rubies, and was tied in a loose knot at the base of his neck, flowing down over his shoulder. His eyes were a deeper shade, more like blood than true crimson, but were no less intriguing.

He was dressed in black, dark slacks fit nicely to his legs, showing his bare feet where one was perched on the invisible floor, the other on his left knee as his right leg hung lazily to the side, parallel to the ground. He wore no shirt, and, on the bared skin of his muscular torso, there was a mark.

Burned into the skin around his navel, in a deep, endless black, was the Eight Trigrams Seal.

It was his most dominating feature, showing starkly as the man sat with his left arm on the arm of the throne, and his chin sitting in the palm of his right hand. He stared out at the other unusual thing in this endless place, his gaze focused.

In front of him hovered a small orb, no larger than a head, which shone was a clear, pure white glow. In it, playing with perfect clarity, as if the man was actually standing there, was the decimated landscape where the death of Haruno Sakura took place.

"Hm," the man murmured, tapping his chin with a thoughtful, clawed finger. He shook his head sadly after a moment, a small smile curving his thin lips and revealing wickedly sharp teeth.

A voice suddenly chuckled behind him, the sound sharp and devious. The red haired man did not flinch, just glanced over his shoulder to the other man who'd suddenly appeared beside him.

The man was obviously shorter than the one seated on the gilded throne, with very wide shoulders and a grin that was as maniacal was it was speculative. His hair was shorter, a crown of wild, sand colored spikes, and he was dressed similarly to the redhead, though he wore a plain colored sleeveless tunic over the black pants. Around his eyes and covering most of his bare skin were markings in deep black, like tattoo's, that ran across his skin in odd swirls. His eyes met the redheads, and had odd cross-like pupils, with deep gold irises.

As the redhead met the grinning blonde's gaze, he saw not the face of a man reflected in the gold eyes, but the face of a fox, with curling black lips, sharp teeth, yellow eyes and red fur.

"What is it, Shukaku?" The man asked in a deep rumbling voice, narrowing his now red eyes at the grinning man beside him. The impish grin did not leave the man's face.

"Ah, Kurama," The man sang, leaning on the back of the throne with a sharp sly look in his eye. "It seems the Uchiha were to be the scourge for the entire world, not just you."

A snort rumbled in the regal man's chest, and Kurama gave Shukaku a glance out of the corner of his eye, refusing the urge to snarl at the beast. "Yes, it would seem even with outside help, there is nothing for them but destruction."

Shukaku's grin widened, and Kurama suddenly saw a flash of beast instead of man, a towering, One-Tailed demon. It was gone in a flash, and the gold eyed man seemed to be simply eying the hovering orb before the man-like form of the Nine-Tailed Fox.

"It's a shame, that pretty little girl would have held the little Uchiha back very well if she hadn't have been so ignorant in the beginning," the sharp toothed man observed, playing idly with a strand of his shaggy sand colored hair.

Kurama raised a brow, his head tilting to the side as he turned back to the orb beside him with renewed interest. His inquisitive gaze studied the dulled green eyes and vibrant hair.

"What makes you say so?" He finally asked, and his was voice carefully blank as he turned to look at the fellow Tailed Beast standing next to him.

The Ichibi gave Kurama a withering look pulling his hand away from the lock of his own hair that he had been playing with, "Don't give me that superior curiosity, _Kyuubi_," the man ground out, seeming irritated. "I'm not pulling any tricks; I'm more bound to the _Gedo Mazo _right now than you are."

There was a moment of silence, and Shukaku narrowed his eyes, "Why is that, anyway?" He asked in a drawl. "Only a piece of your power was bound to the statue, why can you appear so easily when Gyuki cannot?" The question was a quiet one, and asked with a knowing tone.

"You suspect the answer already, so why ask, _Ichibi,_" Kurama tossed back with a sharp tone and bored expression.

"Answer it anyway."

"Only the tiniest of pieces of my soul was transferred into the _Gedo Mazo_, half still resides in the Uzumaki boy, and the rest was sealed into the Demon's realm with the death of the Yondaime. Unlike any other Tailed Beast, I can connect to any piece of my sealed power at any time, just like you have an affinity for sand and Gyuki has one for water. I simply have an affinity for space itself, although fire is my… elemental affinity. My soul transfers quite easily between pieces of my consciousness." Kurama seemed to be speaking in irritation, tossing the unwelcome Shukaku a look. "How do you manage to move between spaces yourself, Shukaku?"

"Willpower and an extreme dislike and wish to piss you off," The One-Tail told him with an insufferable grin. "Now, may I ask what you are doing _here_?"

Kurama's eyes glinted yellow for a moment, then settled back to that unusual red. "While for the most part, I am fighting with Naruto against Uchiha Madara, the rest of me is here for peace and quiet as I ponder what to do next."

"What to do next?" The Ichibi scoffed, "Despite your belief, Kurama, you are no different than any other Tailed Beast, so do not think yourself capable to change the situation. Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Obito have brought chaos upon the Shinobi Nations, and there is no way for us to end this war, let alone just you."

"Ah, but that is where you assume wrong." Kurama replied in a sigh as he tapped a dark nailed finger on his throne. "I do not aim to end the war. It is far too late for that," he stated this as if it had already finished, as if it were a simple, blunt fact.

There was a moment of silence as the Ichibi stared at Kurama with a narrowed gaze.

"I aim to prevent it altogether." Kurama finally continued, ignoring Shukaku's inhalation of surprise.

"And just how do you plan to do that?" Shukaku asked, raising a brow as he stared at Kurama with incredulous eyes. "Throw us all back in time?" He scoffed, rolling his eyes.

"Yes."

There was a moment when the Ichibi just blinked, and then, slowly, a grin spread across his face.

"You don't seem displeased," Kurama observed, raising a brow of his own as he leaned back in his chair momentarily as he lowered his right leg to the ground. He then rose to his feet, that little orb following him at a perfect pace the whole time.

"You think I enjoy being trapped in this statue? I liked being in that brat Kazekage more than trapped in this statue!" The man stalked away, throwing his hands into the air and muttering under his breath.

"But still, I need a way to make sure the Uchiha do not interfere with the world this time. They are too overbearing and selfish for their own good." Kurama sighed, "I would crush the clan myself, but I cannot send myself farther back than when I was first sealed in my latest Jinchūriki, otherwise, I'd risk tearing myself and time in half. But still… I need a way to destroy them from the inside out… painfully if possible."

Suddenly, Shukaku tossed back his head and laughed a hardy, maniacal sound the echoed loudly in the space. The sandy haired man leaned forward, his face wrinkled and the black marks tracing his features scrunching together as well.

"Is there something funny?" Kurama hissed, his shoulders stiff and gaze indifferent.

"Your ignorance," the man answered, shaking his head with that wicked smile on his face. "If you seek to destroy the Uchiha, you need not go back so far. Let them destroy themselves first, then only four stand in your way: Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Obito, Uchiha Itachi, and Uchiha Sasuke."

"And how should I do that?" Kurama ground out, irritated at the Ichibi's outlandish insults at his intelligence.

"With the source of hate: kill them from the inside out using love." He stated it like it was a bemusing idea, like something one would do for fun. Kurama snorted at the One-Tail's ridiculous ways.

"Oh? Really, tell me how that will work?" Kurama humored, crossing his arms and tilting his head. "Do you plan for me to suddenly conjure a body in the form of a female, or do I use my current Jinchūriki?" There was unhidden contempt in his voice.

"Can you not transfer your consciousness through separate pieces of your soul, _Oh Great Kurama?_" The gold eyed man mocked his face the picture of innocence. "Simply slip this piece of your soul out of the _Gedo Mazo _when you take us back and slip it into a separate vessel."

"And how do you expect me to choose someone?" Kurama questioned, the Eight Trigrams Seal beginning to unwind as the man began a series of hand signs that forced his chakra to execute a jutsu he'd learned from none other than the Sage of Six Path's when he'd first been separated from the Juubi. The old man had called it his trump card.

He really never thought there'd be a practical use to it, after all, he lived forever, and his cages did not. And he would be damned forever before he let Uchiha Madara dictate his life.

Shukaku gestured to the orb, and Kurama's eyes flickered to the side, glancing over the orb that floated solemnly by his side, still showing the empty expression of the dead Haruno Sakura.

"Why not her? She's the same age as Uchiha Sasuke, and where he goes, Itachi goes, where Itachi goes Madara goes and so on. They're all fools following after dreams of revenge and peaceful worlds." The Ichibi rolled his eyes, "The pathetic creatures cause their own chaos. Particularly the Uchiha, high and mighty," He scoffed. "The Senju turned out much better in my opinion, Sharingan or not."

Kurama settled on the last seal, his gaze flickering to Shukaku as he pressed his palms flat together.

"To the destruction of the Uchiha," The redhead spoke, a smirk on his face as the Eight Trigrams Seal on his stomach rolled up over his chest and shoulders, leisurely trailing up as arms to roll around his hands like chains. What was left on his stomach was a gaping hole that slowly bled black, wrapping around his torso like dark hands.

"Or your destruction," Shukaku added cheerfully, "I'm fine with either." His face turned serious though, "Just don't screw it up and blow us all up, you damn fox."

Kurama jeered, "I'm not as moronic as you, Shukaku. Rikudō Sennin trusted this to me for a reason besides my affinity for time. I'm the most stable out of all of you, and you lack the power to carry this out, even if this is just a small piece of my soul."

Shukaku snarled.

Kurama smirked, his eyes slowly bleeding of their red hue to turn first yellow, and then a dull gray. By now, the shadows had almost wrapped around him, and had taken on an appearance not all that different from the starry sky around them.

Finally, he let out a slow breath. "_Jikan yugami: Ribāsu_," and quicker than Shukaku could curse out loud, the world flashed white once, and then drained of color, each little star fading slowly, the last of which glowed a soft rose color.

The last image the white orb gave before dying out and disappearing like everything else was a picture of Haruno Sakura, her green eyes flickering back to life, albeit with less vibrancy, the emerald color marred with errant streaks of gold and crimson.

* * *

Her body ached, and for some reason her chest burned, and she couldn't help but groan at the discomfort. With a yawn, she stretched her tired limbs, her toes slipping out from under the blanket on her bed and into the chilly air.

She shivered, pushing herself up on her elbows, yawning and rubbing at her face with her small, soft hands. She shook her head a little, and blinked, frowning when her head felt heavier than it usually did.

There was a knock on her door, and she turned, blinking against the harsh light of her window as that voice that had woken her up came through her door again.

"Sakura, dear, you're going to be late to the Academy if you don't get up!" Her mother's cheerful voice called through the wood, and the girl in the warm bed blinked.

"Oh, alright… mother…" She trailed off uncertainly, an odd feeling in her chest as she said that, and she rolled out of bed, twitching as her bare feet touched the cold floor. Her mother clicked her tongue from the other side of the door, and then sighed before leaving.

The pink haired girl rubbed at her eyes, feeling a little off. She stumbled slowly toward her vanity, muttering under her breath.

"What day was it again?" She whispered, finally staring with blurry eyes at the mirror seated atop the white wood. She blinked at her reflection, some odd feeling bubbling in her chest.

Her hair was the same vibrant pink, though it seemed brighter than she remembered, and its ends touched just below her chest, and cascaded to just under her shoulder blades. Confused green eyes blinked back at her, and when she narrowed her eyes and leaned closer, she could see red and yellow in her eyes.

"Weird." She muttered, pushing back her unruly straight hair back behind her ears multiple times before growling in frustration. "I forgot how much long hair sucked!" She burst out in a groan, before blinking at her own words. Hadn't she always had hair that was long?

Her mind was about to try and process that when she felt a sudden burning sensation behind her eyes, and the answer to an earlier question popped into her head.

"It's graduation day!" She gasped, looking out the window with wide, surprised eyes, noticing the amount of people already out on the streets. She pulled at her hair, her face full of almost comical panic.

"Can't be late! Can't be late!" she chanted, running around the room in panic and pulling off her pajama's as she struggled to get dressed for the day. As she slipped her pants off, she tripped, falling heavily on her butt and complaining softly at the pain.

As she hurried, the girl didn't notice, but, between her shoulder blades, a deep red mark had carved itself onto her skin. It was the color of blood, and if one looked close enough, there were nine, intricate swirls that merged into a single point. Just around the edge of the mark was the sealing mark that had once curved, and still did, around the Eight Trigrams Seal.

It was no bigger than the palm of the young girl's hand, and for a while, it blazed a deep, powerful red.

Eventually though, it dulled, leaving the mark an incandescent pink, that shone brilliantly, as if it wasn't against the pale skin of the now thirteen year old Haruno Sakura, but against a deep, starry black background.

* * *

_In three words, I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on._

_-Robert Frost_

* * *

_Jikan yugami: Ribāsu= Time Distortion: Reverse_


	2. Chapter One: Reinventing

**A/N: **After all that nice support (to me, a few people equals a lot) I thought I'd update sooner than planned. I didn't think people would like the idea I'd put forth so much!

**To Reviewers:**

**SasuSakuKawaii:** I do intend for this to vary a great deal from most Time Travel stories, so don't stop guessing what will happen! Whether you're on the right track or not… well I'll let the story answer that.

**banglamiss: **Thank you for the complements! Would it be alright if I just put the translations at the bottom of the chapters? (I feel like putting it actually in the middle of the story will take away from it slightly) While I can't give away my ending for the story after just the prologue, I intend for it to be a completely unusual story altogether, just keep that in mind.

**And to an Anonymous Reader: **I've always been a fan of both Kurama and Shukaku, and I wanted to portray them well in this story. I'm glad you love how I wrote, because I plan on having them in it quite a bit, since I find Shukaku's personality completely entertaining!

And foreshadowing is an Author's best friend, no? Expect a lot of unusual things that hint at what's going on, my dear readers!

Anyway, to all of you guys, thank you for reading! Reviews have a special place in my heart and inspire me to keep up the work!

Oh, and expect an OOC Sakura. This will be explained eventually…

Oh! Again** From now on, jutsu translations are at the end of the chapters!**

* * *

**_Incandescence_**

**_Chapter One_**

**_[Reinventing]_**

* * *

Sakura was out the door in what had to be record time, sprinting past her mother with an intensity that could only be called tenacious. Her mother's surprised face was almost comical as the pink haired girl waved enthusiastically before turning, stumbling, and going on her way after catching herself.

It had taken her a mere five minutes to slip into her usual shorts, though after a moment of deep consideration of the speed she'd probably have to run to get to the Academy on time, she resigned herself to simply pulling on her dress and sprinting out the door without breakfast. She regretted missing the chance to eat a little, but there was nothing to be done about it.

She would end up making it on time, she noticed happily, as she weaved in and out of the few people up and about this early in the morning. That made the growling of her stomach worth it.

She encountered another problem though, as she continued to run. The mid-morning air was chilly, not unbearable, and the sun was shining nicely and warming her arms and face. The wind on the other hand, was rather irritating, or maybe it was just her hair, but even the tiniest breeze seemed to toss pieces of her own hair back in her face. It didn't matter how many times she pulled the strands back, they just wouldn't seem to stay.

Sighing, she resigned herself to a life of half vision, at least, until she reached the Academy. When she reached the front door, she paused for a moment, hands on knees, panting loudly. Had she always been this out of shape? Shaking her head, she blinked and fumbled when her red ribbon came unknotted from its place as a headband and fell toward the ground.

She looked at it for a moment, and, with a sudden smile, used it to tie her hair back in a ponytail. Sighing in relief as the longer strands no longer caught in her eyes when the wind blew strongly, she pushed open the front door to the Academy and ran inside, sliding through the halls haphazardly.

Her spring colored eyes gleamed with excitement. For a moment they seemed to flash toward a more muddied color, though if one would have saw it, it would have been gone in a blink. Her expression flickered toward one of amusement, staring through the open door with a tilted head at the figure blocking her way.

"Ha!" The blond in the doorway exclaimed, perching her hands on her hips and whipping her long ponytail over her shoulder. "Forehead didn't even show up! I knew she was a coward! And to think she thought _she _was worth _Sasuke-kun's _time!" The girl laughed loudly again, but that fond sort of feeling in Sakura's chest was chased away with a seemingly natural irritation.

"Oh, really, Ino-Pig?" She scoffed, striding through the door with her chin tilted up. She sneered at the blond who turned to watch her saunter in. "As if Sasuke-kun would want someone so absolutely _atrocious. _I on the other hand, am at least slightly normal. See, I can talk without yelling like a banshee." Sakura rolled her eyes, watching as Ino gaped in surprise and astonished laughs echoed in the room hesitantly.

"Mm, she got you there, Ino," Shikamaru mumbled under his breath where he sat at the edge a few rows above them. His chin sat on his crossed arms and he observed them lazily. "Although it seems to be a skill she only recently acquired. I remember plugging my ears because of _both_ of you yesterday."

At this, an embarrassed flush finally tinted Sakura's cheeks, and the girl snorted indignantly. She mumbled a noncommittal reply under her breath, too low for anyone to hear, and she was saved when Iruka's voice echoed in the room.

"Take a seat class!" The brown-haired Chunin called out, an odd mix of amusement and irritation on his face. "We'd like to get the final tests started as soon as possible! We have a lot to do today!" There was a moment's pause and then he looked at the fiery girls standing by the door. "You are included in that, girls," he added a pointed stare onto the sentence, and both girls' balked.

It seemed that as soon as their teacher began to shout at them, Ino's attention wandered, and she immediately slid into the nearest seat she could find. This was right below Shikamaru, and Sakura almost burst into laughter when the sleepy boy frowned deeply, sighing something under his breath.

Sakura's amusement ended when she scanned the room for empty seats, and, sadly, found only one. At the edge of an aisle, near the far window in the middle of class, there was an open seat. Sasuke sat near the window, affectively ignoring everyone as per usual. She couldn't help that part of her snorted at this and the other part almost sighed and blushed. The former was actually more unusual, and Sakura couldn't help but frown outwardly at odd reaction.

After all, what part of her would think anything _Sasuke-kun _did was funny? Her eyes then flickered to the seat next to him, and she had another mixed reaction as she looked at Naruto. At first, her chest lightened when he seemed to beam up at her, and then, it settled back down toward an irritated feeling.

Sakura concluded that she was getting sick. What else could be the reason for her reacting that way? Maybe skipping breakfast hadn't been such a good idea.

Sighing in dejection, she hurried toward the seat and slid into it without complaint. Naruto leaned over the desk as he attempted to meet her eyes. A small, nervous smile was on his face and Sakura twitched just slightly.

"Morning, Sakura-chan," He said quietly, and she focused on him, blinking before she replied automatically.

"Morning Naruto-kun," She mumbled, and then blinked when she realized what she'd said. The boy looked like he was about to explode from both astonishment and delight, but he managed to lean back in his spot with a smile on his face.

After that, the shock of what she'd said made her numb, except that odd burning feeling in her chest again and she stared straight ahead, face blank. As Iruka moved to the front of the desk to start the day's tests, she shook her head, clearing it of the fog that had surrounded her thoughts.

She twitched again, and, out of the corner of _her_ eye, she saw Sasuke glancing at her out of the corner of _his _eye. The look he gave was slightly incredulous, but also slightly miffed. She sighed, almost slamming her head on the desk in front of her.

_I am _so_ sick. Otherwise, Ino's voice may have finally short-circuited my brain._

* * *

Deep in the darkness of a void few knew existed, there lay a mighty beast. Through the bars of its cage, surrounded by concrete walls and a floor covered in water, gleaming orange-red eyes could be seen. There was no sound, no movement in the cage or that room for a long moment, but eventually, the beasts eyes blinked slowly, and a low rumble was emitted from its chest.

The yellow tint to its eyes faded as it shrunk to a smaller size, ears shrinking and fur receding. When all was said and done, what was left was not the monstrous form of a fox, but that of an imposing man.

There was a moment where he rolled his shoulders, cracking and popping the joints. The man growled slightly in irritation. "I wish I could perform those damn jutsus without changing, it's taxing and senseless," he muttered under his breath, stalking forward across his cell, the water rippling with light in his wake.

When he reached the opposite wall, he sighed, looking down and surveying his work quietly for a moment. "How much of you should I mix with _her_?" He pondered aloud, tapping a bare foot slightly as he tilted his head, letting his hair fall over his shoulders.

In front of him, hovering about three feet from the floor was a person curled into the fetal position, hair drifting around her as if she floated in water. She wore white, the color was pure as snow, and it flowed from her shoulders and down her legs in a simple dress. The woman was pale; her skin was a smooth cream color marred only by the scars on her hands and legs. She was thin as well, lean in a way that spoke of rough training and smooth muscles.

Her eyes were closed, think, pale colored lashes just barely grazing her cheeks, which were stained with enough color to proclaim her health in a reassuring way. Her hair though, was shoulder length, and its unusual color was visible from any place in the cage. The pink locks were darker though, less vibrant and more intense in their color than they'd been at the time of her death.

Most unusual though was that along the girl's arms, curling around her shoulders and reappearing on her legs, the marks of a seal had appeared, tinting the girl's skin with a deep red color.

"The memories should stay locked away," Kurama murmured, flicking a wrist to the side as if dissecting an interesting project. With the quick gesture, the marks of the seal brightened slightly, and then traced up the girl's neck and along her temples. "It's too risky to let her see fragments of them this soon…"

"She can't be an exact copy, things would become too suspicious. So for now, her abilities should remain as with me as well," he mumbled, flicking his wrist again. This time, the seal flashed an even brighter red, encircling the girl's own wrists and ankles.

"For now, just unease should do to change her path." He finally concluded, gesturing in an entirely different direction with his other hand, watching the affect it had. The seal retreated from her shoulders, merely framing her chest, or, more specifically, her heart. It was the only place on the girl lacking the touch of the seal.

"Merely her old feelings mixed with the current ones should alter her current personality enough," and he stepped forward, reaching out with a hand to touch the tip of his fingers to the hollow just under her throat. As he watched, the seal seemed to collapse, fading away as if it was being washed away by water. A shiver seemed to tear its way through the girl, and then she sighed, curling tighter in on herself.

Pulling back his hand, Kurama began a series of seals, quicker than any eyes could follow, that were older than anyone alive today, including himself. When he finished, he stared at the girl before him for a long time, seeming to assess the chances things would go right.

With a sigh, the man dropped the last seal, bringing his hand up to sink his wicked teeth into his thumb. Blood, a deeper, darker color than most would have, welled up on his smooth flesh, and he leaned toward the ground, pressing the bleeding digit to the ground.

Like the opposite of when the seal on the girl faded, this time, a circular seal seemed to rise from the watery bottom of the cage, swirling illegible marks intricate and glowing with a familiar deep crimson color. It spun slowly, and if one looked at it from the side, they would see layers, like the inner workings of a clock. Each had a different pattern, shape, and thickness to its lines, and some rotated clockwise, while others went counterclockwise.

The red haired demon fox brought his hands together in one last seal, his impassive and detached eyes glowing with a sly and calculating gleam. "_Jikan yugami: Sōru shutsugen_," He murmured, his eyes flashing that unusual golden color.

There was a flash, and then the pink haired girl sank down, her shoulder touching the water first. This time, instead of rippling out with white light, it rippled a darker shade. If one looked close enough, they could see the remains of the seal that had vanished from her skin.

Under foot, the circular seal spread, becoming a layer that made it look as if the floor of the cage was really a pane of glass shielding a clock. It settled to a imperturbable black color, gleaming with invisible light, throwing jagged shadows into the cage that moved at quick intervals.

Kurama cast his glance down, studying his work with a slight smirk on his face. He then glanced slightly to the side, his eyes looking over the fragile girl whose dress had turned a more ashen color, her skin bright in the dark room.

"And so it begins."

* * *

For a long moment, Sakura just stared at the _hitai-ate _in her hand, a small smile slowly making its way onto her face. The cloth was surprisingly soft in her hands, and it was that typical, standard blue color. The metal had a polished gleam that shone proudly in the twilight air, the Leaf symbol carved, unmarred, and proud on the metal.

Something odd bloomed in her chest, something like pride, maybe even a little satisfaction, but something different was buried underneath it. Something warm that gnawed at her chest with an intensity that made her fidget. It took her a moment to realize what it was, and she wasn't even sure what had made her _recognize _the foreign feeling.

It was hunger. Like she'd climbed the first hill and now saw only a new mountain in front of her.

It was an unusual feeling, but not unwelcome, and it made the smile curve eagerly on her face. She suddenly felt so energetic, so restless that she couldn't hold still.

Glancing up, she blinked and then noted something for the first time. She stood at the periphery of the groups of Academy students, and as she looked around, she noticed that she was the only one not with her parents. Even Ino, whom she'd bantered with a little after they had graduated, was talking excitedly with her father, Inoichi, whom Sakura had also talked to earlier. Now though, she was by herself, her father away on a mission and her mother probably still at home.

She hesitated slightly, pausing uncertainly as she turned around, deciding to head home to her mother. She went on her way after waving at the group and saying hasty goodbyes and congratulating students she hadn't yet talked to. As she looked back in front of her, turning to fully face the road into town, she noticed something.

Sitting under that tree in the front of the school, Naruto leaned against the rope holding up the swing, his gaze downcast. No one stood near him, and no _hitai-ate_ was in his hands. He was residing in the deepest part of the shadows, and she couldn't see his discouraged blue eyes. His shoulders were rounded forward as if to protect him from something.

It took her a moment to realize that he was receiving glares, and the people delivering them looked as if a foul smell had reached their noses. There was also something sharper within them which Sakura had trouble singling out into a single emotion.

Her mood darkened considerably for no reason, and she paused again, her lips twisting in a frown.

_Maybe… no, I need to get home and show mom that I _could _graduate. No time for _Naruto _of all people_.

She sighed under her breath, turning and beginning a quick, brisk paced walk down the road into town. As she walked on the streets, the last remains of daylight warming her arms and weaving jagged shadows on the people lingering on the streets. The smell of food from restaurants and stalls wafted through the air, reminding Sakura she hadn't really had eaten that day.

She sighed dejectedly, wishing she carried money to at least get a bite as she continued on her way home. Sadly, she would have to wait until she made it home for dinner and hope that it would be done upon her arrival.

Still though, it didn't keep the pink haired girl from grumbling under her breath as she walked home. All in all, her day had gone rather well, and she'd passed the written tests at the top of her class. She'd focused her attention on the task before her instead of lingering on her own odd behavior. Now that she thought about it though, she still felt weird, unbalanced, as it there was a heavy weight pressing down on her back.

She'd been most affected this morning, when she'd actually answered Naruto. She didn't remember having ever actually responded like that to the obnoxious and irritating blond. Even _Sasuke_ had seemed thrown off by her response.

Her thoughts then wandered to the boy himself. Thoughts of dark eyes and an infuriating yet melting smirk invaded her thoughts. At first she sighed happily thinking of the boy who had placed first in every exam that wasn't written, and then she blinked again, slowing momentarily. When had she ever thought of _Sasuke _as irritating? That was Naruto's role!

The pink haired girl groaned, rubbing at her face and pushing at hair she had just realized had fallen from her ponytail. She narrowed her eyes, shaking her head as she pulled the ribbon out, letting her hair fall around her shoulders again.

She grumbled under her breath, putting the ribbon in between her lips as she gathered her hair back behind her hair. She'd never realized how nice it was to not have the strands sticking to her neck as she worked, but she decided she liked it.

As she continued on her way, she pulled a hand away from her hair to grab at the ribbon. She hummed a harmless tune under her breath, her gaze flicking to the side just as someone exited a shop to her right.

She halted, stopping completely as she held the ribbon in her mouth still, her hand halfway up to her lips. Her green eyes blinked several times, and a bright color bloomed on her cheeks.

The face of Uchiha Sasuke stared back at her, blank and rather displeased. One hand was stuck in the pocket on his shorts, the other dangling by his side held to bags filled only about halfway with food. Like Sakura, he hadn't yet put on his _hitai-ate_.

Dark fathomless eyes stared impassively as she pulled the ribbon out of her mouth and hurriedly tied her hair up, knotting the red strip quickly. Under the fading daylight, the dark strands that framed his face took on a more blue hue that was both unusual and mesmerizing.

She swallowed quickly, pushing the lump in her throat down and ignoring that unfamiliar feeling that she was starting to think had always been there. Her back was tense, and it ached in a spot near her shoulder blades, making Sakura frown just slightly.

She finally managed to speak. "Ah, hi, Sasuke…um…" It took her a moment to realize that she'd left the suffix off his name, and that blush burned brighter on her cheeks. Swallowing harshly yet again, she hurried to cover up her mistake. "Um, ah, Sasuke-kun, you were amazing during the tests today."

It was true. Although she'd dominated the written tests, with him not too far behind, he'd destroyed everyone in the other tests. He was easily the fastest, and he was stronger than basically any boy in the class. He was proficient in both Taijutsu and Ninjutsu, and he was obviously the genius of the class.

He studied her for a moment, not replying, just looking at her with something close to disinterest, before he turned without a word and continued on his way. Her eyes widened, and she reached her hand out. Biting her lip, she paused, her shoulder slumping.

_He never replies_, she thought sadly resigning herself to simply watching him disappear down the street, his hand still in his pocket and his gait leisurely and long. For a moment, she watched after him, but then shook her head and tied her hair back up with the ribbon.

Turning on her heel, she started back toward her home, not noticing the way his head turned just slightly to narrow his eyes at her in a scrutinizing way. It was only a moment's slip, but then the suspicious boy simply continued on his way to an empty home.

When Sakura arrived home, the delicious and appetizing smell of food drifted to the doorway, causing her to hum under her breath in anticipation. She pulled off her shoes, placing them in their customary place by the door, and started toward the kitchen.

"I'm home mom!" She called, scrunching her toes against the cold floor as she leaned into the doorway. Her mother stood near the table, already moving food from the counters to the table. Behind her back, she clutched at the _hitai-ate _she'd earned that very day, having pulled it from her little bag when she'd walked through the door. The metal of the headband dug into her fingers, and for some odd reason, she was nervous.

Her mother, for all her never ending loving support, was a civilian, and worried excessively about her only child. Haruno Mebuki didn't entirely support her daughter's ambitions, Sakura knew that, but now, more than ever, she wanted her mother to support her decision entirely.

_I want to defend the people I love_. _I want to protect them_.

It was the first time a thought like that had occurred to her, but she wasn't surprised at it. It was a sort of relieving and made her straighten just a little. She'd never thought about it before, but somewhere in the back of her mind she held that ideal very high.

So, with that new sort of resolve steeling her, she started into the kitchen, pausing just by the table. Her mother looked up, messing with her bangs as she smiled at her daughter, gray-green eyes bright as always.

"Hi, honey," the woman smiled, setting down the empty plates in her hands, setting them in their places at the table. Her shoulder length blond hair was twisted into a bun, and she wore her usual, long deep pink dress similar to Sakura's, the symbol of the Haruno Clan standing proudly on its back. "How did today go?" She asked after a moment, staring sympathetically at her daughter's nervous face.

_She doesn't think I graduated_, Sakura finally thought, something clenching in her chest uncertainly.

"Pretty good," the pink haired girl said, bringing the _hitai-ate _out from behind her back and holding it out toward her mother. The blond woman's face brightened immediately, and a glowing smile tilted her lips. Sakura blinked as she was finally enveloped in a hug.

"I was first in the written exams," she finally added, her shoulder settling on her mother's shoulder as she wrapped her arms loosely around the woman.

"You're a brilliant, beautiful girl, do you know that?" Her mother whispered, rocking her to the side. Sakura's eyes went wide, and, for some odd reason, her eyes began to water.

She wasn't sure why. Her mother told her things like that all the time, told her that her forehead wasn't big, that she had beautifully bright and unique hair and she said the same about her eyes. She was told that she was one of the most intelligent children her mother had ever seen, with a bright mind and an eager streak.

Despite these things though, something just clicked, and the tears began flow down her face, hot and burning. No sound left her, but she bit her lip, turning her head to the side. After a while, her mother pulled away, her eyes widening when she saw her daughters face.

"Sakura!" Mebuki shouted, taking her daughter's shoulders in her hands. Her mother's worried face blurred before her eyes, and she rubbed her eyes, trying to dry the wetness on her face. She pulled away from her mother.

"I'm sorry," the pink haired girl whispered, "I'm just a little tired. Today was stressful and I'm no feeling quite right." And that was the truth, she'd felt off since she'd woken up that morning, and a sort of ache had settled at the base of her neck.

Her mother's hand drifted gently along her cheek, rubbing at the tears on her face and feeling her forehead. "Are you hungry?" Mebuki asked, her eyes creased with concern.

The pink haired girl shook her head. For some reason, her hunger had vanished, and her head had begun to pound. "Just tired," she whispered, and from both the tears and true fatigue, her eyes sagged a little.

"Then go to bed sweetie," her mother murmured, pushing at some stray strands that had yet again strayed from her ponytail. "Do I need to get you up for anything tomorrow?"

Sakura nodded. "I have to go meet my new team tomorrow."

Her mother's eyes twinkled slightly with something. "Alright, I'll wake you up for a good breakfast tomorrow, okay?" It was more of a promise than an offer, and Sakura knew better than to argue.

"Night mom," she said, turning to head back toward her room.

"Sleep well, Sakura," the blond woman called back, watching her leave the kitchen with a worried look on her face.

As the pink haired girl walked up the stairs, she clutched the _hitai-ate _in her hands, wobbling a little. Her vision was getting fuzzy, and she felt like everything was getting hazy.

She opened to door to her room, and her green eyes were fuzzy, sleepy and glazed over. A yawn stretched her lips, and despite the extra sleep she'd gotten that morning, she was still too tired. Her head was starting to _really _ache too, pounding in time with her own heartbeat.

She collapsed on her bed, not bothering to change into other clothes. With her body on top of covers and her hair still tied in a knot, she curled up, still holding the suddenly icy metal in her hands.

Her head settled onto her pillow, and the fabric too felt cold, and her eyes drifted shut.

The first thing that flashed in her head was a swing, drifting in the wind and swallowed by the shadow of the tree around it. Something about it unsettled her, but she was suddenly too exhausted to care.

The next thing she thought of was less saddening and more distressing.

It was an empty road, dark under the moonless sky, and the chill caused an ache in her bones. Her feet were bare, and she simply watched one lone figure walk down the street into endless black. Yet she was paralyzed and forced to simply watch as Sasuke's dark figure vanished into the night.

It reminded her of earlier that night, where, as he'd walked away, no one reached out to greet him, or called out after him. It was as if he was a ghost.

As the distressed girl slept, that seal on her back flared with the deep crimson chakra of the beast now partly sheltered in her, and when it settled again, she would not be the same Sakura.

It was obvious by the unsettled dreams that she would no longer be as oblivious as she'd once been.

After all, for Haruno Sakura to coax Uchiha Sasuke out of the shadows, she would need to understand them herself. And as she slept deeply through the night, disturbed only by dreams brought on by her own emotions, the seal on her back slowly sank into her skin, leaving only a white, scar like impression on her back to signal the change that was to come for Haruno Sakura.

* * *

_A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions._

_-Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr._

* * *

**_Translations in order of appearance:_**

_Jikan yugami: Sōru shutsugen= Time Distortion: Soul Emergence_

_Hitai-ate= Headband, Forehead Protector, etc. Be prepared to see that word a lot._


	3. Chapter Two: Dreamers

**A/N: **Sorry for not updating in forever, this story isn't abandoned; the author (me) has personal issues going on and hasn't had time to update. I'm sorry, and I'm working on the next chapters as we speak, I promise I won't abandon this.

Oh, and as a note, I'm currently searching for a **Beta-Reader!** If anyone would like to message me, otherwise, I'm still searching for someone to do it.

**To Reviewers:**

**l0NeR-f0r-LiFe: **Trust me, Sakura is going to be going through some major changes over the next few chapters, I just didn't want to make it sudden. She doesn't remember going back in time, and her mindset is what it was back when she was twelve. As for the jutsu, part will be true jutsu from the wikia, and others will just be my made up ones. I'm going to try to stick with mostly wikia jutsu though.

**ringo-nin: **No, she wasn't aware that she's gone back in time. I'm going to go a little more in depth on why this chapter, so I'll let the story speak for itself.

**THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING!**

**_Seriously, every one of you guys deserves a hug, however weird that may sound!_**

* * *

**_Incandescence_**

**_Chapter Two_**

**_[Dreamers]_**

* * *

_When she woke, gaining some semblance of consciousness, it was like breaking free of water as it tried to suffocate you. Air was almost smothering and a chill like no other wrapped around her face like a greedy lover. Her hair was damp, clinging to her cheeks, neck, and forehead as if it was trying to protect her. _

_Vibrant spring green eyes flecked with yellow and red opened slowly, attempting to adjust to the low light that hung over the landscape, like a flickering moon struggling past the cover of the sky. Her thin shoulders hunched against both the chill and the dark as she began to look around herself tentatively._

_The ground under her feet was covered in smooth stones, a part of the path that led forward in front of her. On either side, bare trees, thin like bony fingers, curled up and toward the sky, an interweaving web blocking a deep gray sky overhead. The ground was bare, covered only with the thick twining of roots that crawled across the surface. _

_The sky was empty, a blank, dull color only brightened by glimpses of things that might have been stars. Wind crept through the trees, howling in agony and scraping along her skin like desperate nails. Still though, as she stepped forward, it seemed like everything curled around her as if to guide her down the path before her._

_Her steps were soft, hesitant and unsure, as she slowly made her way down the path. The stone underfoot was chilled, but not as much as she had expected it would be. The whole landscape was unusual, and as her eyes flickered around, she realized something: she wasn't afraid._

_Though her heart was quick with curiosity, and her breaths shallow from the cold, she didn't feel that suffocating heat boiling under her skin that signaled fear. Her shoulders didn't shake, her hands were steady, and her eyes were trained on that one spot just at the horizon where the path vanished._

_She hummed, her breath an addition to the light fog, and continued forward, her eyes looking intently ahead. Her heart skipped a beat, but it was in anticipation rather than shock or terror._

_Up ahead, different from the rest of the land, was light, glowing red light. It burned like fire, radiating out so much she could feel the stone under her feet thaw and the air around her loosen as everything around her relaxed. Her steps continued, faster now._

_But as she got closer, she saw at the center of the light, standing on where the path ended, a cliff over a deep red sea, was a figure. Toes of bare feet gripped the ledge where they poked out from under a pure white cloak. It rippled around the lithe form like smoke, tracing the figure with ethereal white._

_Pausing at where the path leveled and she stood even with the taller figure, Haruno Sakura spoke softly._

_"Who…who are you?" She tested timidly, her voice uncertain and cautious as her hands curled into her chest. "Do you… can you tell me where we are?" Her questions were left unanswered for a long period of time, and she swallowed her nerves back again._

_Her eyes drifted to the side, realizing with a startled clarity that the red was creeping into the dark forest, the trees and land vanishing under its touch without a sound. The deathly quiet around them had Sakura's breathing speeding up as fear finally began to set in. Heat began to blossom in the air, and Sakura pulled at the collar of her typical dress as the heat began to become uncomfortable._

_She was about to turn and leave; the red was almost to her toes when she moved. Her first step back was just the hesitant slide of her foot, but it hissed in the quiet, and the figure finally turned to face her._

_"We're in a place that should be very familiar to you," A feminine voice stated, sounding amused by her ignorance. "Don't you know what your own head looks like, little Sakura?" The amusement in the voice faded, and Sakura paused as a hint of melancholy in the voice._

_"My own… head?" Sakura stuttered, her foot sliding back unconsciously as she felt eyes burn into her with a startling intensity, like they could see through her soul._

_"I guess you wouldn't know yourself that well, would you?" The woman's voice continued, once again sounding darkly amused. "Too young, too soon," the sigh that escaped with the words exhaled in a pale cloud, and the red seemed to dim around the white figure._

_"What do you mean?" Sakura whispered, wide, innocent eyes following the movement of a slim hand that beckoned her closer. Her eyes locked on that slim, white hand traced with icy scars, Sakura almost didn't notice her feet begin to slide forward. "Who are you?"_

_"You'll understand soon," was all that the woman uttered in response. Through the heat in the air, Sakura began to feel a chill crawl up her spine, and she straightened as the woman began to turn. "As for me, well…"_

_And the air around Sakura rushed away with a gust, sucking away her breath and pulling her damp, sweaty hair away from her cheeks. Numb, tingling feelings spread through her limbs, and her muscles relaxed despite herself. The red faded, blurring out at an astonishing speed, and the pure, stark white swallowed everything._

_But not before Haruno Sakura met a pair of startling emerald eyes, unfaltering and hard like the gem they were the same color as._

* * *

_He honestly couldn't tell where he was right now. He didn't recognize anything; even the air had an unusual taste that he wasn't familiar with. The shadows around him were unwavering, and for once, he just wished they would disappear so he could sleep._

_He was so tired, and while this wasn't a typical dream, it was still keeping him from resting fully. And he knew it was a dream._

_After all, how often did he stand on beaches in the dead of night?_

_Breathing deeply, tasting the salt in the air that weighed him down, he took in the land around him. The sand under his feet was cold, but it was dry, and it shifted under his feet as he leaned back on his heels. Wind tugged at his hair, pulling gently through the strands and eliciting a sigh from him._

_He had to admit though, as far as dreams went, this one wasn't all that bad._

_It stretched as far as the eye could see, with sand on either of his sides, and a wide expanse of a dark ocean in front of him. It was dim, the water churning softly and rushing gently, a soothing sound. The moon was a wide, bright contrast, hanging in the sky like a faithful light. It cast bright contrasts onto the ocean, turning it black and white._

_Sighing in something akin to tranquility, the boy's head tipped back, his eyes shutting softly as his shoulders and hands relaxed. His heart was one of the loudest sounds right now, other than the wind and water, but it beat calmly, a constant beat that lulled his thoughts. _

_But instinct ruined the peaceful moment, and his eyes snapped open with a startling focus as his head snapped around. _

_Behind him was a stretch of forest, a murky path leading into its deep dark depth, branches hanging over the path like hovering vultures. That wasn't what had made him snap to attention though. _

_It was the deep, maniacal laughter that echoed softly out to the beach, curling around him like a suffocating hand. Sucking in a breath, he spun on his heel, the coarse sand rubbing his foot unpleasantly. The laughter continued as he watched though, and a frown curved across an otherwise blank face._

_Deciding not to delay the inevitable, the boy sucked in a deep breath and strode into the forest, his strides long and confident._

_The path was worn and unsteady, the stones that formed it popping up here and there as if to trip him up. The cold steppingstones had moss growing on them in some places, vines in others, though he couldn't see them. They too tried to catch his feet and pull him down._

_It was dark enough, and the canopy above him thick enough, that he could no longer see the ground or any more than a few feet in front of him. He never tripped though, and even when the path narrowed as if to try and unbalance him so he'd fall into the forest, he did not falter. _

_Eventually, the path widened, before turning into soft, damp grass beneath his feet. The trees widened and thinned, letting soft moonlight drift through like tentative fingers. It illuminated quite the sight._

_It was so much of a sight that the boy's heart skipped in surprise and his breath caught. The noise also captured the attention of the creature before him._

_Tremors raked through the boy like spasms as his gaze clashed with the intense, unwavering gaze before him. Yellow eyes like acid burned through him, ripping him apart so it felt like his bones were melting under the stare._

_The creature was large, taking up the better part of the clearing, with the boy standing opposite. Its body was bulky, and lying down, the creature's hips and shoulders were level with the tops of the old trees around them._

_Its skin was rough looking, like sandpaper, and it was a color that matched the texture it gave off. A thick tail curled around strong legs and smaller but still well-muscled arms. Despite the monster's agile shape, it was bulky, no doubt more powerful than fast. Black marks like inky cracks traced all over its tough-skinned body, thickening around its eyes._

_Those eyes stared out at the boy from a deceptively round face, with small, pointed ears and the deepest eyes. The moment the creatures gaping jaw opened though, that illusion vanished, and the uneasy boy took a step back._

_Jagged teeth that appeared to be sculpted out of the beast's jaw rather than their own separate entity curled in a ghastly smile. A tongue, ragged and brilliantly red, flickered between the teeth like a snake waiting to strike._

_Then it spoke, its voice familiar and deceptively human. "Ne, look who finally came to visit," it sang, and the boy was transfixed, watching as its tail swished in front of its face with a lazy rhythm. "I've been waiting, pest."_

_The insult had the boy's spine straightening with pride for a moment, before he withered again under the gaze and aura of the monster before him. Like storm clouds surrounding him, the beast's chakra was sinister and foreboding._

_"I've waited and waited so long—can you see? The trees grew around me!" It cackled, head tilting one way and then the other. The boy's eyes flicked cautiously from side to side, absorbing what had been said before he swallowed heavily. The only path out was the one right behind him, leading back into the dark forest._

_"I see you're too scared to speak, so I'll go right ahead and tell you a few things," it started, rolling so that it crouched on its feet, the creature's belly scraping the grass loudly. "Do you know what I am?" It asked vehemently, excitement evident in its quivering tone. Before the boy's lips could move to even _breathe,_ the monster continued speaking. "Well, I can't tell you yet, that would ruin all the fun. You guessing will be most of my entertainment."_

_The creature cackled, tail crawling closer to the boy and causing him to take an unconscious step back. It was the wrong thing to do._

_Its tail shot out and wrapped around him, blocking every route so that he was caged in with the monster. The trees seemed to lean closer to them, cruelly engrossed spectators coming to watch his misfortune._

_Hot breath fanned across his face, smelling of decaying flesh, blood, and oddly enough, sand. Burning yellow irises surrounded by bottomless sclera pinned him down, and laser focused elongated pupils with and almost cross-like shape stared back at him._

_His heart skipped a beat, and he felt fear gripping his chest tightly, like Death's own hand was suffocating him. His palms were itching, and wet, but he couldn't bring himself to wipe them off on his clothes. His knees trembled, and seemed to be weighted down by that omniscient gaze. _

_A halting, uneasy gasp left him when the creatures smile widened again, like a cat playing with its food. "Oh, this game is going to be _so_ fun, boy. You have no idea how long I've waited for a chance like this!" The monsters body quaked with glee, shoulders rising and falling as putrid breath swallowed the air from the boy's lungs._

_"But I can't move yet," it whispered, the low, sly, mocking edge to its voice, and it rose up, sitting on back legs and towering above the boy. "Not after that jutsu, I'm not strong enough."_

_The confusion the boy might have felt was overshadowed by the utter terror as the monster, now several stories tall, leaned over him._

_"But the moon is out, and I'm just so impatient," it drawled, head tilting to stare up at the bright moon above their heads. Its chest rumbled with a growl that shook the ground under the boy's feet. He stumbled and watched wide eyed as the monster leaned down again._

_"This time around…" The beast began, leaning down even further._

_Then, with a gust of wind, all the boy saw was scarlet, but it eventually faded to a dull, poisonous yellow. _

_Those familiar eyes gleamed out from a smoother, softer, and smaller face. The man before the boy was still big, but human sized. He was stocky, broad, and had the same black marks around his eyes and on his skin. _

_The boy's head fell forward as his strength was leached, and it felt like ice had pierced his chest and was now spreading through his veins. It spread and branched out, and it was like he could feel it leaking through his veins, ripping and tearing as it slithered trough him. Aching, hot pain was centered at his chest though, and a similar spot was aching on his back._

_But what he saw as his head fell forward had his tired eyes widening. He choked, and he could feel the warmth of the dark red blood dribble down his chin. He tasted metal._

_A pale hand marked in swirling black was slowly appearing from where it had been buried in his chest. Crimson red stained his dark shirt onyx, and it was like torturous warmth on his chest, heat overwhelming cold too fast. He watched with fascination as the hand slowly absconded from the confines of his chest, a second, clean one supporting the boy's shoulder as he swayed forward. His knees wobbled, and he wheezed, a haze of pain descending as he looked up again._

_He was swaying as that monster—_that thing—_rumbled and shook with jarring laughter that beat against his ears like angry hornets. He moaned, blood gurgling and overflowing onto his face as the pain in his head rushed over him in a tide._

_The face of the man before him had a broad jaw and sharp features, but the wicked, sharp grin on its face was more beast than man. Sickly yellow eyes, dilated and surrounded by bloodshot white, gleamed down at him with a malicious elation._

_Burning lips touched the boy's ear, and hot breath scrapped across his skin._

_"You have no idea how much fun this is going to be," its words were low and drawn out, the pitch high with mirth. With the heavy blink of an eye, the beast's smile was suddenly traced with red, the lips stained in a macabre way. It dripped and fell down its chin, but before the liquid slipped too far away, a long, thin tongue darted out and lapped it up._

_Dagger sharp teeth stretched in a feral grin, and they too were stained red. Everything was red._

_"I've waited so long. This game's going to be fun, ne, boy?"_

_Then it was black._

* * *

"You're a pest," the deeper, rumbling tenor ground out, irritation evident in the strong voice. The rhythmic tapping of fingers echoed in the large, cavernous space. Laughter answered the sound, brash and haphazard.

Gleaming crimson eyes stared down the figure seated across the room. Their intensity would have burned most to ash where they stood, but this particular guest was both unwelcomed and impossible to get rid of.

"That's cruel, Kurama," the cackling visitor whined, rocking back where he sat cross-legged on the ground. Shukaku sat there in all his glory, his inked chest bared and proud. Sandy blonde hair dusted across his forehead, hiding gleaming eyes as he peered out at the other beast.

"I don't see how you're here, let alone why you act like we've aligned ourselves." Kurama rubbed the bridge of his nose with a long, elegant finger; his were eyes clenched shut and brow furrowing.

"I'm here because I remember," the One-Tail sang, rocking back on his hands where he perched. The clockwork of the seal circled under them, and Ichibi leaned over to observe it curiously. His scrutinizing gaze turned sly when his eyes flicked over the hovering, white cloaked finger behind him.

"I gathered that much," Kyuubi dryly responded from between gritted teeth. "What I'm still trying to unravel is why that is even a possibility in the first place." The man-like form of the Nine-Tailed Fox was cloaked in red, traditional _hakama_ that hung loosely from his lithe hips. A foot dangled off a knee, and his arms were crossed from where he rested across the room.

"Hm," Shukaku hummed merrily, his gleaming poison eyes holding a potent amusement. "The wonders of the unexplainable," he reasoned happily, picking at his black nailed fingers to try and mask the smirk on his face.

A growl rumbled through Kurama's chest, though it was inaudible. A moments silence hung between them, and finally, Kurama groaned in exasperation. "I hope to the high heavens that you're the only one that can remember."

A sandy head tilted to the side, and the playful smirk on the Ichibi's face melted into a blank, speculative glance. "Why does it matter?" The curious beast mused.

"There's a reason I brought that back with me," Kurama stated, pointing behind Shukaku, indicating the floating, comatose form of Haruno Sakura. Her body and clothing were stark against the shadowy cage that housed Kurama.

"Oh?" Shukaku probed, seeming more curious about the answer than the girl behind him.

"I wanted to change Haruno Sakura. But until I heal from using the jutsu taught to me by Rikudō-Sennin, the only route for that plan was to use part of her," he pointed again, "and put it in her." This time, his gesture encompassed the cage around them, lingering on the clockwork floor.

"And how does that make any sense?" Shukaku jeered, a single sandy brow rising to show his disdain and disapproval. "Why not make a puppet and wreak havoc yourself?" The tan man leaned back on his hands further, his leisurely posture both bored and scorning.

"You're a fool ravaged by bloodlust to think such a thing," Kurama said simply, his apathetic and confident words curt. "Why waste time and energy—two things I lack in this situation—when I could simply reprogram something to do it for me?"

Snorting, Shukaku leaned forward and brought a knee to his bared chest, throwing an arm over it disrespectfully. "The great wisdom of the Kyuubi," he sneered, lips pulling up on the right side to reveal rather sharp, but human looking, teeth.

"I did not ask for you to be aware of the situation," the Nine-Tails responded brusquely, his own thin lips curling back. "Your proximity to the jutsu during its duration must have included you in the range of 'user'." The fox-man cast his eyes to the ceiling, as if blaming the dead Sage of Six Paths for this predicament.

"So other than you and I," Shukaku concluded, "No one else is included in the omniscient position this jutsu can allow." The wicked and impish smile on the face of the One-Tail was something to be watched, and the gleaming red eyes of Kurama did just that.

"The girl behind you that was once Haruno Sakura was also brought back. A second jutsu was placed upon her by myself not a day before now." Kurama stated, rising from his spot to cross the room, and giving Shukaku a wide berth in the process. Dark contempt flashed through Ichibi's yellow eyes before he spun, still sitting on the floor.

"Every hour, every minute, every second even, another piece of this version flows into the version of this time," Kurama declared, seeming unruffled by sharing this with Shukaku. "By the time my jutsu is completed, no less than a week from now if I estimated right, Haruno Sakura will be but a stranger with a familiar face."

Leaning to the side so he could see the old Sakura around Kurama, Shukaku hummed, eyes gleaming wickedly, though Kyuubi could not see. "New person, old situations. Interesting concept."

"It's only until I gather enough chakra to make a move myself," the redhead responded simply, hands lacing behind a tan back. "Moving time and space itself is no small feat." His angular head turned in Shukaku's direction, and the superior and taunting gleam in the crimson irises was obvious. "Something I doubt you'd understand, _Ichibi_."

An inimical sneer curled the lips of the corresponding beast, and he too rose to his feet, though he was still a good head shorter than Kurama. "Have fun playing with your puppet, _Kyuubi_." Dark congregated under the Ichibi's feet, shadowy tendrils curling around the bare, tattooed feet. The man unhurriedly descended into the dark.

"I've got my own puppet to play with this time around, and I'm not wasting my opportunities."

After the other Tailed Beast vanished, Kurama's lips turned down in a frown of distasted, and the furrow between his brows would not leave for a long time to come. His fingers now cloaked in red chakra, lightly touched the forehead of the older Haruno Sakura, who had begun to fret in her sleep.

"Dreams are such troublesome things," he muttered quietly. Sakura settled again, though her features never relaxed either.

* * *

_She really hated the current location of her dream, though she couldn't say why. She knew she was dreaming though, for when else had her dreams been so dim?_

_She wasn't sure why she was barefoot though, or why her feet were throbbing in agony. She also couldn't explain why it was raining, though there wasn't a single cloud in the night sky._

_That sky was surprisingly clear, and brighter than the girl had ever seen it. Star's like fireflies danced overhead, from brilliant yellow, to cerulean blue, to a pink that reminded her of her own hair. The moon was nowhere to be found in this sky, but for some reason, she felt like that was how it was supposed to be._

_The rain that fell from the sky made her clothes stick to her skin desperately, and the unusual white dress she wore was hugging her small figure in odd ways. Water trailed over her face and arms in a way that had tingles dancing over her skin every once and a while. Her hair was wild around her, glued to her shoulders and neck like climbing vines. _

_It was an overload of pure sensation, and yet, nothing affected her more than the sight before her._

_He was sitting at the end of the road, arms laying limp on the ground and legs crossed as he looked up at the sky. The cloak he wore clung to his thin, lithe figure, but managed to hide all of his features except for the icy white skin of his hands. It was like a ghost sat before her, mourning his loses as he stared at the sky._

_Taking a step forward, Sakura was surprised to find that her feet sloshed through a puddle, and her movements were slow despite the shallowness of the liquid. For a moment, her eyes were caught by the sight of rainwater twirling around her feet like arms reluctant to let her go._

_Then she heard a gasp._

_Her head shot up, and she stared wide eyes at the figure before her. The boy's face was hidden, but his eyes were not. Bright, bloodshot white framed pupils so dilated they swallowed the identity of the irises around them, gluttonously dousing the lighter color._

_The haunted eyes were wide, and the hint of fear in them was palpable._

_"What—" The boy croaked out, voice low and hoarse from disuse, or perhaps screaming. "What are you… you're not supposed to be here!" He breathed, and the intensity of this statement was enough to force her back a step. "I don't understand," he cried, hands clenching in the hood of his cloak and pulling it down further over his face. "Wasn't _that _enough for you!" He screamed to the sky, "Wasn't that enough?"_

_"What do you mean?" Sakura questioned unsteadily, flinching when those terrorized eyes snapped back to her. "Are you… alright?" The words slipped out, and she watched the gleam of a tortured smile shine from the dark with morbid fascination._

_Her knees shook under the weight of the stare, and when a laugh boomed around the street, her head bowed as if she'd been scolded. Her wide eyes didn't blink even as water rushed over her face._

_"I've never been alright!" He declared, throwing his arms haphazardly into the sky. "No one noticed or cared, but I've never been alright." Those words had slowly descended from a shout to a murmur, and the boy's shoulders dropped. "You should leave," he stated suddenly, eyes burning through her and urging her to do just that._

_"Why?" She couldn't help but ask, foot sliding back again. A smirk curled that bright smile as if this amused him. Those dark eerie eyes gleamed out at her with an almost pitying gaze._

_"He can't come now, you can still get away," he started, the lilt to his words like a ghastly song he'd sung over and over again. "Once he's able to come, you'll be the main part of his game."_

_"Game?" She whispered, watching as the boy turned and began to stalk down the road. She wanted to turn around, to run, more than anything, but she hardened her will and started after him. The water and rain tried to drag her down, and it was like fighting gravity, but she slowly made headway._

_"He wants to rip you apart," he whispered, "From the inside out."_

_Swallowing past the fear she felt, Sakura forced out the question she wanted to ask. "Who?"_

_"He's got evil in his eyes, some of the worst I've ever seen," the boy intoned, head swaying back and forth as he stopped walking, rocking back on his heels. "Trust me, I've seen too much, so if I was you, I'd listen to me."_

_"No, not him," she whispered, pausing as well. Curling her toes in anxiety, she leaned forward a little, her brow pushing together as a chill worked its way down her spine, ending in her feet. "Who are you?"_

_She didn't know why, but she felt this was important._

_"No one you ever knew," he sighed, clutching at his head again as pain seemed to overwhelm him, he doubled over, head almost to his knees even though he was still standing. "Just like I don't know you, Haruno Sakura."_

_Confused and ill-equipped, Sakura asked one final question to the boy. "You know my name, so don't you know me?" Her inquiry was a mere whisper that passed through trembling lips, as if she feared the answer she might receive. _

_"He is me, and I am sometimes him," the boy chuckled softly, hand pointing toward the sky. As they watched, the stars in the sky faded, until only four remained. One was red as blood, one was yellow as the sun, one was blue brighter than she'd ever seen before, and the last was a familiar rose colored pink. "At least, now that this time's come around."_

_"What does that mean?" She shouted, and her voice was swallowed as wind suddenly whipped around them, the rain vanishing as if it was a measly afterthought. She took one deep breath and jumped when a voice replied from right by her ear._

_"You're not him, but he's part of you," the boy whispered. "But who are you but one made of two, Haruno Sakura?"_

_She spun, partly out of fear and partly out of instinct, but the last thing she saw was burned into her mind. _

_Pupils shrunk at an astounding rate, revealing a poisonous yellow pair of eyes that matched a bloody, curved smile on an otherwise blank pale face._

_It was not a face she recognized, yet as she collapsed and truly woke, she couldn't help but feel sorry for the terror that had hidden behind that yellow gaze._

_Yet it was only a fleeting feeling, for she wouldn't remember any of it in the morning._

* * *

_Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we learned here._

_-Marianne Williamson_

* * *

**_Translations in order of appearance:_**

_Hakama= traditional Japanese pants. If you really want an example you might be familiar with, think Shinigami from Bleach. That's one I can think of off the top of my head._


	4. Chapter Three: Confidence

**A/N: **Hey guys, I'm back! Quicker update than last time, I'm sure you've noticed! Ha, yeah….

Anyway, just two quick notes before the next chapter, and one isn't really much of a note.

**1.** Only one review! That makes me frown, but hey, I'm not going to overestimate myself. That and I did update a little fast…. Oh, and thanks to all the new Followers/Favorites! Reviews get more love though, and if you review, you might get a dedication! Hint hint, wink wink, if you get what I'm saying.

Also, thanks to **UchihaJennifer **for being the sole reviewer! Glad you like it!

**2. **Still searching for a **Beta-Reader**! I do my best, but by the time I finish a chapter, I usually just want to sleep. Any recommendations or help would be awesome!

**OH, and check out the POLL on my page! It's going to help decide which of my newest projects gets done first! There's a SasuSaku up in the poll, so if you want more SasuSaku, check it out!**

* * *

**_Incandescence_**

**_Chapter Three_**

**_[Confidence]_**

* * *

A soft sigh escaped Sakura as her eyes opened slowly, with a sort of difficulty that signaled she hadn't had a good night's rest. With a leisurely roll, the girl went to stand get off her bed.

She overshot the edge, and fell straight down. Her forehead slapped her wooden floor, and her wide eyes, quickly blurring over with tears of pain, narrowed as she groaned and pushed herself up with her hands. Tangled pink hair fell over her shoulders, hiding her eyes from the light of the room as she climbed to her feet, shaking her limbs out of the tangled sheet that had followed her to the floor.

Wiping at her face, Sakura mumbled under her breath as she headed toward the wardrobe in her room. Pulling open the drawers, she paused, considering what the day would likely have to offer her. Her eyes then drifted to the _hitai-ate _sitting on her vanity.

She graduated yesterday, so as of today, no as of _yesterday_, she was a ninja. She was a full-fledged Genin of Konoha. Unconsciously, her chest swelled with pride, and she rubbed her thumb over the carved Leaf symbol. The rough indent of the engraved spot had her snapping back to reality, and she set the _hitai-ate _back on her vanity.

Glancing up at her reflection, a frown marred her face, and she began to meticulously pull the wayward knots out of her hair. She yelped when her brush got caught in a particularly rough tangle, and rubbed at her head as she blinked the water out of her eyes.

When she finished that, she bit her lip, considering if it would get in the way again. Deciding she would probably survive leaving it down, the pre-teen girl tied her _hitai-ate _around her head, using it like a headband instead of her usual ribbon.

She then rummaged through her drawers, biting her lip. Should she dress as usual? Or would they start missions as soon as they met their teams? Should she tie her hair up?

Groaning in frustration, Sakura just pulled out the first thing in her drawers, one of her typical dresses. Muttering under her breath, she pulled it and her black shorts on, pulling her hair out of the collar of her dress and turning to hurry down the stairs, her bare feet pattering on the floor.

When she reached the bottom, she took a deep breath and smiled.

Today would be a good day.

* * *

The moment she stepped foot into the Academy classroom, she had this feeling that maybe it _wouldn't _be such a good day. She'd stepped in a puddle on her way to the Academy, and typical shinobi shoes weren't the best when it came to keeping feet dry.

It also didn't help that she kept thinking about the stupidest thing. This morning, her mother had asked her about the color of her headband, and when Sakura questioned what she meant, her mother then asked a question that irritated her to no end. She wasn't sure why though.

_"Are you okay with it being blue?" Haruno Mebuki asked, pushing back a strand of her blond hair that had fallen forward from its place behind her ear. She'd asked this as Sakura was slipping her shoes on, and though she stayed bent over, the pink haired girl's head tilted up, staring openly._

_"Huh?" She asked dumbly, not even thinking about what she was asking. The confusion on her face was probably evident, and she finished putting on her shoes before she continued. "What do you mean?"_

_Her mother raised a brow, turning away from the kitchen stove and rubbing her hands on her apron. "I thought you were against blue since it clashed with your hair." Her mother said these words slowly, as if she was hesitant to point it out and disapproved of the thought to begin with._

_Blinking, Sakura reached up and pulled her _hitai-ate _out of her hair, glancing at the headband with a scrutinizing gaze. She blinked at the rough blue fabric, as if she hadn't seen it before. "Oh," she mumbled in surprise. She didn't know why, but something in her withered at the sight of it, and she unconsciously pulled at a lock of her hair. _

_Her mother's furrowed browed, but the concern went unnoticed by Sakura, who was still fiddling with the _hitai-ate.

_"You can tell me if you want to change the color of the cloth later, dear," her mother said, seeming puzzled at her daughters conflicted face. "You should probably leave now though; you don't want to be late, do you?"_

Now though, all she could think about was the headband situated in her hair, and she sighed as she scanned the mostly full room for an empty seat. The only one was in a problematic spot, and a group of people were gathered around it. All other desks had people's things on them, claiming they were taken.

Nerves and irritation flickered to life in Sakura as she started forward, arms crossing as she snorted. She stopped when she realized _why_ people were gathered around that row.

On the side closest to the window, and furthest from the group of muttering girls, was Uchiha Sasuke, as indifferent and uncaring as usual. His chin sat in his hand as he stared out the window, studiously ignoring the quiet giggles and obvious stares.

One thing sat between them and Sasuke, and there were three things that came to mind at that. One was that Sasuke had chosen that spot carefully, another was that poor person blocking them from him was going to die, and the last Naruto really didn't have any sense of self-preservation.

Naruto was staring down Sasuke with palpable frustration, and Sakura suddenly had the urge to laugh. "Why does that look so familiar?" She muttered, rolling her eyes as she took a breath and started forward again.

_Because they're always like that, _a quiet voice murmured, and Sakura had the vision of white before her eyes. She blinked in surprise before shaking her head and blaming her bad sleep for her hallucinations.

Sakura pushed her way through the crowd, the girls yelping and shouting in surprise. When she made her way to the front, she found herself standing next to Yamanaka Ino, who looked at the pink haired girl with contempt.

"What are _you _doing up here, Forehead?" The blond questioned, throwing her shiny ponytail over her shoulder and staring Sakura down with piercing ice colored eyes. Those eyes traveled over her before settling on her _hitai-ate_, and then the girl smirked. "You really should know by now that blue is _so _not your color, _Sakura_."

Sakura's jaw clenched and her eyes turned to the girl standing beside her with a smug smile on her pink lips. The pale girl had her chin tilted up with superiority, but for some reason, Sakura couldn't find it in her to be bothered by the insult, and only felt slight annoyance and irritation at the words. Under it though, she was swallowing back a hint of insecurity she felt at the words.

"Really, Ino," she replied flippantly, with a roll of her eyes, "Because I care more about the color of my headband than anything." She snorted, and frowned at Ino before replying seriously. "Maybe that's why I ranked higher than you in the exams, _Pig_."

She smirked when Ino fumed, though she was still thinking about her _hitai-ate_, and her fingers self-consciously tugged at her hair while turning away from the fire spitting blond.

"Sakura-chan!" A cheery, higher voice called nervously. She turned to look down at Naruto who was peering up at her with sheepish eyes. He hesitated for a moment before continuing uncertainly. "You… blue looks good on you," he murmured quietly, hiding his eyes as the scrutinizing gazes of the group of girls' around them.

When snorts and short humorless laughs could be heard, Naruto seemed to shrivel in his seat, and on impulse, Sakura acknowledged him. "Thanks Naruto," she mumbled quietly, though everyone still stopped and looked at her as if she'd grown a second head. Though there wasn't much by way of conviction in her words, the fact that she said them shocked everyone.

Moving on quickly and hiding her embarrassment, she asked Naruto what she'd originally come over to ask. "Would you mind moving or something so I can sit here?" She watched as his face, already bright and eager, flickered for a moment as he glanced out of the corner of his eyes to watch Sasuke.

Slowly, he pushed his way to his feet, moving out of the way so she could get into the row. Disappointment showed plainly on his face, and his head lowered as he flinched when girls' began to growl and hiss at him.

"You could have just moved over," she whispered quietly as she passed by him to get into the row. She didn't know why she said that either, but as she sat down, a blush finally traced along her cheeks as the boys' sitting on either side of her gave her odd looks.

Blinking with sudden realization, she turned to Naruto. "Didn't you… not graduate?" She started slowly, brow furrowing as she asked the rather rude question without realizing she said it. Naruto flinched, and she blushed further when she realized what she'd burst out saying.

"Nah, Iruka-sensei passed me. No one can keep Uzumaki Naruto down, ya' know!" He gave her a grin and held up a thumb in enthusiasm, but Sakura could still see her blatant lack of manners had hurt his feelings.

Behind them, Sasuke snorted into his hand, and Sakura just managed to see his dark eyes roll and his head turn farther away from them. Heat flooded her face again, and she turned toward the front of the room.

She coughed in an attempt to hide her discomfort, and sighed in relief when Iruka came into the room, his pace quick and eyes on his clipboard. "Take your seats, class," he called out clearly, turning to face the class with a proud smile on his face. "Today, you and your classmates will become full-fledged Genin, but that doesn't mean you're done learning!" He beamed out at them and then began to speak again. "Because of this, you'll be split into squads of three and assigned a Jonin teacher, and then you will be assigned missions you'll carry out as a team."

Murmurs of excitement wandered through the room as friends began to discuss the possibilities of a team. Sakura began to think about who she'd want on her own, but other than that initial fleeting thought of Sasuke, she couldn't think of anyone. Iruka shook his head and sighed, speaking louder as he added on one last piece of information to his speech.

"Your teams are separated as to balance your strengths," he told them blankly, rolling his eyes when the class began to moan and mumble worriedly. Sakura sighed and set her chin on her crossed arms as her eyes began to flicker across the room considering the faces she recognized, but didn't really know.

As Iruka began to announce the teams, Sakura slowly began to lose interest, and she eventually buried her face in her arms, waiting for her name. She tried to convince herself that her heartbeat pounding her ears was entirely from nerves, but it failed since she felt not one, but two pairs of eyes watching her.

"Seriously," she murmured, shaking her head in her arms. Her blush probably covered her ears, but she couldn't stop it.

_Someone's easily flustered_, a voice laughed in her head, and she sat up straight, causing Naruto to jump. Shaking her head vigorously, she blew hair out of her face and focused on Iruka.

"Now for Team Seven," he began, brow narrowed as he gave her a concerned look. "Haruno Sakura," he declared, and her eyes widened and she tensed in anticipation. "Uzumaki Naruto," he added slowly, watching the two for their reactions.

Sakura's brow twitched, but for some reason, she couldn't muster her normal irritation, especially since all Naruto did was suck in a surprised breath and smile widely. Behind them though, Sakura could hear the familiar cackling of Ino, and the blond wasn't trying it disguise it.

"And the final member of Team Seven is Uchiha Sasuke," Iruka finished, eyes scanning the row where the team was conveniently seated together. Sakura snorted at the well timed coincidence.

"Hn," Sasuke snorted, leaning back in his spot and sneering at them out of the corner of his eye. Naruto slammed a hand on the table and stood up.

"Iruka-sensei!" He shouted, pointing over Sakura's head at Sasuke. "Why does an awesome ninja like me have to be stuck with such a jerk like him?" Sasuke turned to openly glare, and Sakura leaned forward, suddenly very uncomfortable with the situation. A trace of aggravation filled her and she hissed at him without thought.

"Don't be stupid, Naruto!" She glared at him, watching as the passion in his blue eyes faded, though he didn't move.

"Naruto," Iruka said quietly, glaring at the blond while pinching the bridge of his scarred nose. "You scored the lowest out of all twenty-seven graduating students. To balance out the team, you were placed with two of the highest scoring students. Sasuke had the overall highest score, so I wouldn't be pointing at him if I were you."

Naruto frowned, and sat down. On Sakura's other side, Sasuke was smiling smugly, though it was small, before he turned back to the window. Iruka finished calling out the rest of the teams, though his eyes lingered on Team Seven exclusively.

Rubbing his forehead and tucking his clipboard under his arm, Iruka said one last thing. "You'll be introduced to your Jonin leaders later today. Take a lunch break for now." With that, the brown haired Chunin strode out of the room, leaving a group of unsettled and unhappy Genin.

Some new teams' talked among themselves. Others simply nodded their heads at each other and went their separate ways. Team Seven was a bit different compared to others. Naruto and Sasuke gave each other heated glares before stomping out of the room, Sasuke leaving first and Naruto in his wake, though with somewhat of a smaller effect on the mood of the room. After all, storming out of a room through the same door kind of ruined the affect.

Sakura wasn't too far after, though she was merely leaving to go eat her lunch somewhere where shouting boys, boisterous talking, and angry footsteps clashing in her ears.

She pinched the bridge of her nose as she walked out of the Academy, trying to fight the onset of a massive headache. Dangling from her left hand was the lunch her mother had shoved into her arms as she'd left the house.

Despite the fact that warm sun beat down overhead from an only slightly cloudy sky, she yawned. Muttering under her breath about taking a nap, Sakura paused next to a bench on the road next to the Academy. Glancing to her left, she blinked when she realized it led to the path out of the Village. From where she stood, she could hear the footsteps and voices of those leaving and entering the Village.

Biting her lip, she sighed. "I probably shouldn't take a nap on the side of the road," she muttered, looking down at her lunch before searching the area around her. "But I don't know where else I could…" She trailed off, her thoughts halted like her speech as a light suddenly light in her eyes.

Her gaze had settled on a tree right behind the bench, sporting very low branches and a sturdy looking trunk. Her shell colored lips slowly curved into a sly smile, and, as if she was about to do the unthinkable, she looked both ways, making sure no one was watching her.

She then hopped onto the bench, and over the wall behind it, standing before the tree that had caught her eye. Tilting her head to the side, she considered the branches before gripping the cloth wrapped around her boxed lunch between her teeth. Rubbing her hands together, she stared down the tree with determination.

As she started to climb though, bark rough under her soft hands, she realized how easy it was and wondered why she hadn't done it before. No one would look for her in a tree, not Ino, not Naruto, and not any of her teachers—former teachers at that.

Deciding she'd climbed high enough, she swung a leg over a particularly wide branch, leaning her back against the trunk and looking out. To her left was the way back to the Academy, and she could see the bustling Genin as they ate lunch and talked amongst themselves. Most were split into their new teams, except Team Seven. Sighing, Sakura rolled her eyes and tilted her head back, observing the bright sky above her, a perfect view under the shade of the tree's canopy.

Opening her lunch, Sakura prepared to eat, happy that at least no one could see her eating unaccompanied.

_Really depressing… _That voice in her head mumbled again, though this time Sakura thought it might have been her own thoughts.

* * *

Holding a hand in front of her face as she yawned, Sakura's multi-colored green eyes fluttered open, weighed down with sleep and fatigue. She rolled her neck and stiff shoulders as she woke, and frowned when she began to feel something akin to vertigo.

Suddenly air was pulling at her hair, pink strands suffocating her as her eyes began to see blurs of orange, green, blue, and yellow twisting together in a strange picture. As mesmerizing as the sight was, it didn't take away the pain of her shoulder slamming into the ground and her head bouncing after it.

Groaning, the pre-teen pushed herself to her hands and knees, rubbing at her shoulder and shaking her hair out of her face. "I really need to stop doing that when I wake up," she complained, looking around blearily as the tingling and burning in her shoulder faded.

Blinking, she noticed how far the sun had fallen in the sky, making deep shadows stretch across the grass where she kneeled. Head turning wildly, she stared in horror when she saw that the school was deserted, and Genin no longer sat in front. Paling drastically, she scrambled to her feet, leaving her discarded lunch behind as she sprinted back to the Academy.

She stumbled every once and a while in her panic, breathing drastically uneven and heartbeat wild. Her head throbbed as she turned down the halls, part from her fall and part from the adrenaline she felt as she hurried toward her classroom, hair streaming behind her. Her steps were thunder in the hall, but she didn't really care.

Turning down the last hallway, deserted like the rest, she dashed toward the entrance of the class, reaching for the door that was already partly cracked open. She shoved it aside and began to enter the room, only to pause as something thumped her in the head. A cloud of white flew down to shroud her eyes, and she coughed once.

Laughter, bright and raucous echoed once, almost like a bark, before it cut off. "S-Sakura-chan," Naruto whimpered, obviously trying to hold back his laughter. It still managed to sneak out in snorts and nervous noises though.

As the dust cleared and Sakura blinked the chalk off her eyelashes, she felt her eyes begin to water. Naruto was closest to her, caught between looking horrified, amused, and just plain guilty. His blue eyes seemed to waver as they met her own, and Sakura felt a deep embarrassment curling in her chest like a snake.

Her lips curled, but before she could lash out, she heard a soft snort and her eyes slide across the room, and met a pair of dark ones.

For some reason, her face flushed further, though with more anger than embarrassment as she watched Sasuke smirk at her, lips curling with disdain and annoyance. Her chest swelled up with pride, and she was about to storm over to him when she paused, getting dizzy.

_Honestly, I don't understand what's with that ass_, the voice she'd been hearing, familiar and feminine, whispered. _Why can't be just leave me alone? Hasn't he done enough?_

Before she could ponder her strange and sudden thoughts, someone cleared their throat behind her, brushing away the last echoes in her head. Spinning, she looked up with nervous and tear-filled eyes.

For a moment the man was a blur of blue, green, and silver, but then it cleared and she was staring up into an impassive dark eye as black as the shadows in the room and as languid looking as anything she'd ever seen.

Blue fabric covered the lower half of the man's pale face, and his _hitai-ate _covered his left eye. Disheveled silver hair spiked up over the headband, mostly standing up straight, though some fell just over the _hitai-ate _a little.

Otherwise, the man was wearing a standard Jonin uniform, and Sakura swallowed as he stared down at her. Then his gaze flickered over the other two, Naruto standing a just a few feet away and then to Sasuke who sat across the room in his usual spot.

"My first impression," the man sighed, leaning back and sliding his hands into his pockets, "Is that you're all a bunch of morons." The group gasped in surprise, and the man's dark eye studied them cynically. "Meet me on the roof in five minutes." With that, their squad leader vanished in a bit of smoke, leaving Sakura to choke on it and the guys to brood.

_Fantastic._

Wind was pulling at her hair again, as she sat on the steps on the roof, off to the side. Their Jonin leader leaned against the rails across from them, hands still in his pockets as he stared them down.

She shook her head and pulled at the strands of hair that stayed stuck to her eyelashes, and watched him intently. He sighed, and looked anything but enthusiastic. "Well, let's start with some introductions, alright?"

There was a pause as the three Genin of Team Seven thought about that. "What… do you want to know?" Sakura finally said, and her voice was quiet and hesitant.

"Well, how about your likes and dislikes, hobbies, what you dream of in the future, stuff like that," he told her, shrugging as though the question was simple. Her cheeks burned and she looked away, fighting embarrassment.

"You first!" Naruto shouted, pointing at him so flamboyantly that Sakura could see it out of the corner of her eye. His face was set in a stubborn frown, and the gray-haired man sighed again, as if this wasn't worth his time.

"Who, me?" He drawled, pointing at himself lazily. "Well, my name is Hatake Kakashi," he started looking over them again. "I don't really feel like telling you guys my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future? Never really thought about it," he mumbled, head tilting back to stare at the clouds overhead. Behind him, the sun was setting in the sky, casting deep shadows and bright colors onto the roof. "As for my hobbies, well… I have lots of hobbies," he concluded, eye closed.

Sakura stared at him in confusion, and something akin to disbelief, as she realized all he really said was his name. "Pointless introductions if you ask me," she mumbled to herself, staring at him from under her bangs.

His eye opened almost instantly, and locked on her with hawk-like precision. "Alright, let's start from the left." He nodded in her direction and she paled drastically.

"Um, my name is Haruno Sakura," she started, eyes widening when she felt all three of them staring at her intently. "I like reading and being outside. Um, I don't really like spicy foods, and…" after a moment's thought, she shivered, "I really can't stand snakes. My hobbies? Umm… well, my dreams for the future are to—"

Pausing, she realized she didn't know the answer to that. Biting her lip until it burned, she felt her brow furrow with thought. "I want to become a kunoichi that's respected by everyone," she muttered finally, not realizing she'd spoken out loud.

Kakashi stared at her for a moment, silver brow raised, before moving on. "Your turn," he stated, jerking his chin at Sasuke.

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke," he started, folding his hands together in that typical way of his and staring at them disinterestedly. "There are a lot of things I don't like, and not really anything I like. And I don't want to use the word _dream_. What I have is an ambition," he stated, sitting up straighter as Sakura watched, transfixed.

"The revival of my Clan," he stated, "And to kill a certain man."

A chill crawled through the air like a parasite, sucking away any sound as they all stared at the Uchiha with varying expressions. Kakashi looked grim, and Naruto held this sort of nervous air around him. Sakura felt conflicting emotions though, a twinge of sadness, and a bit of frustration, though she couldn't name why. She swallowed when she felt a familiar twinge of anger bubbling in her. _What a fruitless dream_, it muttered again, seeming both sad and irritated, _he'll always be alone. _

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto!" The blond shouted without preamble, catching everyone's attention and dragging it away from the scowling Sasuke. "I like cup ramen," he stated, fiddling with his _hitai-ate_, the only sign he was nervous. "I _really _like the restaurant kind that Iruka-sensei takes me to though." Pausing, Naruto's head tilted sideways, almost like a curious animal. "I don't like waiting three minutes for the ramen to cool," he added slowly, before shaking his head vigorously. "My dream… is to surpass the Hokage! Then everyone has to acknowledge me, you know?"

There was another pause, and then Naruto's fist hit his hand, as if he'd remembered something. "Pranking is my hobby!" He declared, nodding to indicate he'd finished.

"Well then," Kakashi sighed. "Now that we've gotten to know each other, let's all get a good night's rest." Naruto looked like he was going to protest, but Kakashi cut him off. "Tomorrow we'll start our duties."

Naruto smiled, bursting to his feet. "What are we going to be doing?" He asked excitedly.

"Well, first the four of us are going to do a little something together," Kakashi stated, crossing his arms and staring down the blond with a blank face.

"Yeah, yeah! Like what?" Naruto questioned.

"Survival training," Kakashi told him dryly, seeming bored.

"Survival training?" Sakura whispered, feeling bewildered, "Why is training like that part of our duties?"

"I'm your opponent this time," Kakashi told them, laughing under his breath as Team Seven gawked at him in apprehensive anticipation. When they gave him baffled looks, he waved a hand at them. "When I tell you guys this," he started, smiling so broad they could see it even behind his mask, "You guys are going to flip!"

He took a deep breath, standing from his perch to lean over to their eyelevel. "Of the twenty-seven graduates in your class, only nine will be chosen as Genin. The rest will be sent back to the Academy." His face became grimmer, though his smirk was still visible. "The failure rate of this survival test is sixty six percent!"

The energy seemed to fade from the air as the three Genin watched with shocked and narrowed expressions. The shadows seemed darker and the breeze colder as they sat, speechless. "I said you guys would flip," Kakashi said, shrugging his shoulders as he stood up again.

"What the hell is that supposed to do?" Naruto shouted, jumping to his feet as he clenched his hands into fists. "Why did we even graduate if you're just going to send us back?" His blue eyes burned fervently as he glared at Kakashi.

"That was just to select those who were most suited to become Genin," Kakashi replied dismissing, Naruto with a wave of his hand and ignoring the blonde's outraged shout. "Anyway, you'll be graded on how you do _on _the training field tomorrow. Bring all your shinobi skills and tools." He paused, seeming to remember something. "Oh, and don't eat breakfast tomorrow, or you'll puke."

Flipping open the pouch at his waist, the gray-haired shinobi pulled out a few sheets of paper, passing them out to the three Genin. "All the information, like the information on the training field, how to get there, and the likes," He told them, sliding his hands into his pockets, "See you then."

Kakashi disappeared again, leaving the smoke to waft back into his students' faces.

There was more silence between the three of them, and Sasuke departed first, immediately turning and walking away, throwing the crumpled paper over his shoulder as he walked. His steps were quiet and his presence vanished almost instantly.

Naruto left second, and surprisingly enough, he did it silently, staring at the paper with an almost desperate look of concentration, his steps dragging and slow. It took longer for the sound of his departure to dissipate.

Then Sakura was left staring at her paper and almost shaking with nerves. She took one deep breath, swallowing before rising to her feet and leaving herself. The wind swallowed her steps, making her exit the quietest of all.

* * *

_Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections._

_-Saint Francis de Sales_

* * *

**_Translations in order of appearance:_**

_Jonin, Genin, Chunin= Ninja rankings. If you don't know them, you don't know Naruto and you need to go to the Wiki._

_Hitai-ate= Headband, and this is the last time I'm putting this one down here!_

**Final Note: Check out the Poll on my profile!**


	5. Chapter Four: Survival Mechanisms

**A/N: **I am on a roll people. I'm busting these chapters out of nowhere, and I'm likin' it. Also, thanks to all the new **Reviewers, Followers, and People **who added this to their** Favorites! **Again, love you all.

Wasn't much by way of questions, so I'm just going to thank… **UchihaJennifer, Conan-Ai, Zen Ayuri, **and a guest who went by **A Midsummer**. Your reviews make my day, no joke. Some just make me smile, while others make me want to go write more. You guys are awesome.

**Epic Otaku Cherry: **You're awesome too, but as for Gaara and Shukaku, I can't really tell you anything. I'm sure you understand why. Hope you like this chapter!

**The Poll is still up on my page! Quicksilver and Wonderland are two SasuSaku stories in the poll! Go check it out! Go I tell you! GO!**

* * *

**_Incandescence_**

**_Chapter Four_**

**_[Survival Mechanisms]_**

* * *

_He wasn't sure who was screaming anymore. Maybe it was just him, his voice echoing over and over—or maybe it was many people—voices hoarse and terrified. He felt like they were familiar, then again, maybe they weren't. It was blurring together so fast. It felt like just yesterday everything had been normal, but maybe because it was yesterday when everything was normal._

_He couldn't move. The chilling ache in his bones had tightened his muscles, though he jerked involuntarily at odd increments. Dashes of white, almost like frost melting and reforming over and over, danced around his vision, playful, vindictive ghosts. He hated them, yet at the same time, he was of so thankful for their presence._

_They covered up the red._

_It was everywhere else he could see. Bright red, deep crimson—it was dashed across his eyes like paint slathered across a blank canvas until it dripped with it. He couldn't see anything else. He wasn't sure if this was the others or his. Maybe it belonged to those ghosts._

_He still hated it either way. It reminded him of something, though he wasn't sure what. He hated that he couldn't remember too, as if every time he dreamed, slept, he was a different person seeing different things. Sometimes he forgot his own name, but even then, he could remember those eyes._

_"Ne, boy, are you caught up in fear?" The owner of those eyes whispered, laughing breathlessly. It was a sound of madness, wrapped up with insatiable bloodlust that was tangible in the creature's dark aura. It had to be a monster, for no man could bear such poisonous eyes. _

_He hated them too, they made him forget._

_He couldn't remember those important things when he slept anymore. There were important people, dead people, and one that was alive that much more important than the rest. He hated that person so much more._

_Laughter ran in the boy's ears, a monster's amusement, and he wavered when stinging warmth the color of the deepest flames touched his coiled fingers. Maybe he just hated the monster._

_He wasn't sure anymore._

_Fingers twitched, cracked—were they his?—and he felt pain, warm, torturous pain flare through his bones as that thawing began to trickle down into the rest of him, loosening him up, pulling muscles out of stiffened spots. He unwillingly uncurled from the fetal position he'd assumed._

_He just wanted to wake up._

_It all went away when he woke up. Or at least, he couldn't remember it anymore. He knew that much._

_Or maybe he didn't._

_"You're going to remember this, boy. You're going to _fear _it," The monster purred._

* * *

Sakura hated mornings. Or maybe she just hated being up and at the training grounds at seven in the morning. Her breath was still a cloud in front of her, and it was almost mocking her, like that cloud of chalk she'd been showered with the day before.

She was beginning to hate the color white, if she was being honest with herself. She'd see little flashes of it out of the corner of her time constantly now, and odd voice in her head was becoming too familiar. She'd dreamed of snow last night too, and she'd never been fond of it either.

Sighing, the pink haired girl leaned back against the trunk of the tree she was seated by and tried to think of something other than the current situation. The bark scrapped into her back as she shifted, turning her head into the welcoming shadows and away from the ghastly dark stare piercing into her.

That's what she got for arriving before Naruto. Now, she was forced to wait for the other half of Team Seven to arrive, and Sasuke was her company. Whatever good that did her.

"Might as well have stayed home," she muttered, too quiet for him to hear, though she saw his eyes flick suspiciously down to her lips as she muttered. He stood across from her, in the center of the clearing that served as one of the training grounds, with his hands in his pockets.

His shadow stretched toward her, and it was as if he was shrouded in light, yet she could see nothing but his dark eyes staring at her with startling intensity, like the middle of a storm, chaotic and powerful.

She didn't like the chills that crept up her spine, like clawed hands digging into her from behind, as if to keep her from running away. _As if we ever have, _that familiar tenor chided in her head, sounding both bitter and amused. _We always were too loyal._

Shaking her head, Sakura closed her eyes to ignore the stare of Uchiha Sasuke. She'd almost wished she'd worn her hair down, though maybe _that _was why he was staring. After all, she hadn't really dressed in her typical fashion today, and she knew it.

Her dress had been replaced with a shirt that had sleeves ending at her elbows, though it was of similar color and design. She'd bought it during her start at the Academy, but she mainly used it when she worked around the house. It was comfortable though, light and sturdy with a white edged collar with a zipper that went down to her collarbones.

Her pants were the one's she'd often worn under her former dress, dark blue, and the standard for all shinobi. Tied to her leg was the pouch that held most of her tools, though some were in the one strap bag sitting at her side.

Most unusual though was probably her hair. It was rare that she ever braided it, especially since it pulled her bangs away from her forehead, but she figured her team would see her like this eventually. She still had her _hitai-ate_ in its usual place though, holding back those stray wisps that always tried to get in her face.

She fiddled with the ends of her headband as she pondered about it, thoughts lingering on the blue fabric. The thoughts brought a smile to her face as she thought about her morning.

_She almost succeeded in slipping past her mom when she finished getting ready, but, as usual, Haruno Mebuki had a gift for catching her daughter. "Morning, honey," she sang, leaning out of the kitchen with cunning eyes._

_"Morning mom," Sakura replied contentedly, slipping her shoes on with ease that comes from habit._

_The blonde raised a brow at her pink haired daughter, a slight smile crossing her lips as she observed her. "Good night's sleep?" She asked._

_"Oh, you have no idea how well I slept!" Sakura exclaimed, standing up in a flurry of movement, and nodding her head exuberantly. "I feel better than I have in days," she added, nodding as if it improved her response._

_"That's great, dear," Mebuki said, leaning back into the kitchen. "Why are you up so early though? I'm only up this early because _I _couldn't sleep. The sun hasn't even woken up," Sakura's mother added drily. _

_"I'm going to meet my team for another test this morning," Sakura admitted, grabbing her headband from where she'd set it down to tie it around her head. "If I don't pass… I have to go back to the Academy," she told her mother, quietly throwing her bag over her shoulder as she prepared to leave._

_Mebuki leaned out into the hallway again, watching her daughter with knowing eyes. "Hm. I'm sure you'll do wonderful, dear," she told Sakura, walking out into the hall with a steaming cup of tea in her hand. "Are you going to want breakfast before you leave?" She asked, holding out the cup of tea to her daughter._

_Sakura shook her head, but accepted the warm cup of tea from her mother. The heady warmth leaked into her fingers, reminding her of her warm bed, and the steam tickled her nose pleasantly. Taking a deep breath, she could smell the jasmine in it, and sighed happily. "Our squad leader, Kakashi-sensei, told us not to eat or we would puke."_

_Her mother raised a rather skeptical brow at that, humming under her breath in her usual disapproving manner. Her countenance turned angry when her daughter tried to give her back the tea without drinking it all. "I already made myself a cup," Mebuki told Sakura sternly, "Finish yours." Her words and tone left no room for negotiation, and Sakura lifted the cup to her lips._

_As she finished the cup of tea, her mother's eyes kept glancing over her—again and again— before settling on the headband sitting on top of her forehead and wrapping around her head behind her ears. An odd look, one of confusion and merriment, entered her mother's eyes._

_Sakura lowered the cup from her lips. "Why are you looking at me like that?"_

_Mebuki's eyes flickered down to meet her daughter's with a smile on her lips, but she hesitated before speaking. "I like blue on you," the blonde woman said, taking the now empty cup from Sakura before exiting the room._

_Sakura blinked, touching her headband, but she couldn't figure out what her mother was trying to say. After all, weren't all _hitai-ate_ blue? Shaking her head, Sakura left, humming a tune as she thought about her strange mother._

She still hadn't quite figured out what her mom had been hinting at, but either way, something akin to pride had bloomed in her chest, warm like the tea she'd drank that morning. She wouldn't be lying if she said she liked that feeling of egotism, something in her almost craved it, like it was foreign, a drug.

In all honesty, it was a feeling she could get used to.

Without realizing it, she'd turned to face Sasuke, who was, unsurprisingly, still staring at her. Something about his gaze reminded her of the sky on a moonless, starless night. It was deep, all-encompassing, and more insightful and calculating than a boy his age should be. She shivered under it, and, despite her best efforts, felt a blush span her cheeks at his attention. After all, she was still a twelve-year-old girl, and those sorts of things were inevitable.

That newly discovered prideful and stubborn part of her wouldn't let her look away though, and she continued to clash gazes with Sasuke, her blush fading. Eventually, she clenched her jaw, unwilling to let his gaze overpower her, however easy it might be.

Surprisingly thick lashes, like dark in strokes against his pale skin, narrowed around his eyes, just touching his cheeks ever so softly. She could see the considering and slightly curious light in his dark eyes. It was detached though, like a scientist studying a corpse no longer of use to it.

She shivered again, but her muscles froze, tensing in a dramatic flinching motion as he abruptly spoke up. His voice was colder than the air, and no louder than a passing breeze. It was merely an observation to him.

"You're different."

The words affected her more than she liked, and her eyes suddenly couldn't hold his own anymore. She could still feel him scrutinizing silently though, and for some reason, she had a sudden flash of deep red, emotionless eyes.

_There was always so much red around with him, _an achingly familiar voice mumbled again. Sakura could no longer accept it as dreams, or fits of imagination, but she could never figure out what it really was. _It was like I drowned in it. _A laugh, cold like it had been splintered apart with frost, rang in Sakura's ears. _Even my dreams were filled with red, it was an addiction, like I couldn't help but long for it._

Sakura groaned softly, burying her face in her knees and wrapping her hands around them. The scratchy fabric of her pants distracted her from the bell-like echoes of laughter in her head, and she sighed in relief.

Bumps were rising on her arms though, and the hair on the back of her neck rose as she realized something. Sasuke was still staring. She was about to tell him off (because honestly, who could get away for staring that long?) when a familiar scream echoed through the forest.

Both Sasuke and Sakura turned toward the sound, effectively cutting off their stares and redirecting them toward the incoming blur of orange. "I'm not late, _dattebayo_!" Naruto yelped breathlessly as he slid to a stop, ending up right between his remaining teammates, blue eyes frantic and sweat pouring down his face. "My alarm just didn't…" The blond trailed off slowly, eyes drifting to the side and looking over the other members of Team Seven in befuddlement.

"Oh," he muttered, smiling sheepishly as he dropped his own small pack and rubbed at his hair nervously. A flush not just from the early exertion covered his cheeks. "Kakashi-sensei isn't here yet."

Sasuke snorted, and as Naruto rounded to argue with him, Sakura burst into silent giggles that shook her shoulders, her silent war with Sasuke slipping away from her thoughts easily as she watched her teammates.

* * *

Her head was spinning from the lack of oxygen, but she couldn't breathe, and bit her tongue to keep herself from groaning. The grass under her bare arms scratched at her, the leaves over her poked at her face and neck, but she dared not move. Her ears rang from the adrenaline, and her eyes, focused so intently she forgot everything else, watched her sensei take on Naruto with an ease that was almost scary.

Her fingers twitched, gripping at the grass when her stomach let out a gurgle of unrest, and her eyes strayed toward her bag on their own accord. She almost sighed at the thought of the food she'd brought with her, but alas, it sat abandoned with her teammate's things, under the shade of a tree.

Her eyes then caught on the three wooden posts sitting in front of the tree, and, on top of the middle one, that infernal timer that she really just longed to smash.

"The only thing off about this whole damn thing is your haircut!" Naruto's voice, uninhibited and wild, flowed on the wind, drawing her back to the situation at hand. Currently, her blond teammate was standing across from the silver-haired leader of Team Seven, with a hand in the pouch at his hip. Her eyes locked on the silver bells at his side, jingling like chimes in the wind.

She wished her eyes could just burn the damn strings in half. It would make this whole thing so much easier for her. _If only_, that voice, sounding disturbingly like those dastardly bells echoed in her head, taunting her incessantly.

"Lesson number one," Kakashi sighed, pulling his hand out of the weapons pouch. "Taijutsu. Let's see how you do." Naruto seemed to flinch when Kakashi pulled out the book.

Sakura was just as shocked as Naruto. Kakashi seemed to notice his hyperactive student's confusion, and raised a brow," What's wrong? Come at me already."

Naruto balked, seeming uncertain. "But, ah… Why do you have a book?"

"Because I want to find out what happens next," Kakashi replied sardonically, rolling his dark eye as he opened up the book with one hand, setting the other back in his pocket. "Don't feel like you have to go easy on me or anything. It honestly doesn't make a difference with you guys."

* * *

"Shit," she cursed under her breath, sliding out from under another bush as she left behind a flailing Naruto. "Pointless," she spat, taking to the trees as she tried her best to get somewhere where she could regroup.

Naruto was tied up in a tree, and Kakashi was likely after Sasuke now. Sakura doubted that any of them would pass at this point. The sun was already nearing its highest point in the sky, hanging over her like a mockingly bright sign of her ensuing defeat.

After all, she'd seen Kakashi demolish Naruto while _reading_. There was only so much Sakura could handle, and she knew when she was outclassed.

"Two bells, three people…" Sakura muttered. "It's designed to make us fail, and it's almost noon." Moaning hopelessly, the pink haired girl stopped running, pulling at her loose hairs as she thought.

_Two bells. Team up_, that voice whispered, poking at her with an insistent tone. _You want to pass, don't you? Is it that wrong to ask for Naruto or Sasuke's help? They're the distraction, and you can use that to snag yourself a bell._

Biting her lip, Sakura turned back toward where Naruto was. "Maybe," she began hesitantly, but she smothered that thought when she heard Naruto cursing and shouting as he likely struggled to get out of the trap.

Her brow twitched, and she turned back around, rubbing at her forehead as she clicked open her weapons pouch and pulled out a kunai. She clicked her tongue as she let her eyes drift shut.

Other than Naruto's obscene shouting and the rustle of leaves from a tickling breeze, she could have sworn she heard that sounds of feet striking the ground. Like fighting was going on, fast-paced and aggressive.

Taking a deep breath, she headed in the direction of the fighting, her kunai in a tight reverse grip and her chest tight with apprehension. As she neared the sounds and they became louder and louder, Sakura slowed down.

Eventually, she came to a stop, doing her best to see through the thick green summer canopy. She saw flashes of blue and white—accented by the continuous clang of metal and the thump of fists connecting. Sasuke's furious shouting came every few seconds, and Sakura was almost entranced by what she could see.

She was about to lean toward a better view, when bright red began to light up where she stood, and she cursed. "_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_!" Green eyes widened as fire barreled toward her, and she dove out of the way, out of the trees and into the bushes below, cursing inelegantly.

She forced herself to stop rolling almost immediately, grabbing onto the grass to anchor her as she gasped and tried to see what was going on in the spar before her. It was best if she wasn't killed by an explosion, because that was a rather pathetic way to die, especially since she wasn't even a participant in this fight.

What she saw was Sasuke, spinning around as he searched the clearing frantically. Their orange book wielding sensei was nowhere in sight, and even Sakura began to tense. After all, there were only so many places he could hide, right?

"Above, left, right, behind," she muttered twisting and gripping at her kunai as she searched hysterically for Kakashi. Yet she couldn't find him, couldn't sense him anywhere. Her breathing halted and her heart stuttered a spasmodic, staccato noise to give voice to her discomfort. "Where are you, dammit?" She hissed, as if that would make him appear.

_Down_, the voice murmured, and, almost as if summoned by the word that echoed in her head, Sakura heard the faint chime of bells. Her eyes widened and she sucked in a sudden, horrified breath. Sasuke stood in the same spot, kunai gripped fiercely as he spun, eyes burning heatedly.

She wasn't sure if what she did next was out of instinct, or the distinct urge to make her life even more miserable than it was already becoming, but she did know that it was a stupid decision. Throwing her kunai behind Sasuke's back, sailing it expertly into the bushes so it created a distraction, she set her feet and watched as Sasuke whirled to search the bushes.

She then proceeded to launch herself at the Uchiha and tackle him.

Sakura found herself rather impressed that she was fast enough to do it, but then again, if the look of utter shock and slight repulsion was any indication, Sasuke hadn't exactly seen it coming. Her forehead knocked his chin, and when they struck the ground, her on top of him, and they both lost their breath in giant gasps.

"What-the-fuck?" Sasuke wheezed, his words slurring together as her pushed her off of him unceremoniously. Sakura, still half crouched, fumbled to regain her footing as Sasuke stood. Eventually, she froze with one hand on the ground and her eyes locked with Sasuke's dazed and horrified ones.

"_Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu,_" a disturbingly familiar voice muttered, sounding muffled. Sakura looked over her shoulder, face draining of color when her eyes spotted a pale, familiar gloved hand wrapped around her ankle. It was also _sticking out of the ground_.

Sakura squealed, and she suddenly felt herself falling, cold dirt pressing at her bare skin unpleasantly. When the unsteadiness vanished, she found herself up-right, but she was at eyelevel with the grass, some of it tickling her nose. She could barely wiggle at all.

Tilting her head back, Sakura found herself meeting gazes with Kakashi. There was a deep, almost serious speculative quality to his glance that had her watching nervously. _Funny how serious he is when something unexpected happens, _that voice whispered, spiteful and fond at the same time.

Sakura could see Sasuke, standing a good distance back, partly because of her tackle and partly because of his own instinct to step away. His gaze on her was almost comically wide, but it soon took on a look similar to Kakashi's.

Suddenly, the pink-haired girl remembered what she'd been planning to say. "Sasuke!" She gasped out, distracting her squad leader and dark-haired teammate into looking at her. "Naruto's still tied up, but there are two of us! Help get me out of the hole and we can try and work together to get a bell!"

Narrowed dark eyes almost turned stormy as she seemed to unintentionally wound his pride, and the Uchiha snorted, turning back to Kakashi, who was still glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, even as he took Sasuke on. His orange book was no longer in sight.

When Kakashi had battered Sasuke back, forcing the Genin to retreat with a swift combination of kicks and shuriken, Sakura was still staring in outrage. Part of her was irritated at being left in a _goddamn hole_, while the other was fuming at Sasuke brushing her off so easily.

_What an idiot I am! Sasuke would work with _Naruto _before me! _Her own thought closely mixed with the _other's _ina disheartened harmony. _Like any of them care that I shoved him over and figured out where Kakashi was! _Sakura let out a little scream of frustration, wiggling her body around as she let her frustration out.

Off in the forest ahead of her, the booming sound of more jutsu was heard, and then a familiar, booming baritone was heard, cutting Sakura's troubled thoughts off. "… Better luck next time, Sasuke," Kakashi's voice mumbled, carried to her on that dying wind from earlier.

A shout of frustration, much like her own, called after their teacher, cursing him in ways Sakura had never heard. She couldn't deny that a small part of her was pleased at Sasuke's failure. A smile curled her lips, and her hands clenched unconsciously, touching slightly.

Her eyes widened at this, and soon, Sakura was working the dirt away from her hands. They'd curled up toward her chest subconsciously when Kakashi had pulled her down, and the dirt was loose around them, freshly dug.

The pink-haired girl smirked as she pushed her hands closer together. _Let's see Sasuke do something like this, that arrogant bastard!_

* * *

By the time she'd managed to substitute a log in her place, the sun was just past its apex in the sky. She'd taken a moment to compose herself, pushing her sweaty loose hairs behind her ears and retying her _hitai-ate_, and brushing the dirt out of some unsavory places.

She'd then turned and headed back to the three logs, no doubt too late to make some worthless effort for the bells she was truly beginning to despise. It had cooled off from the heat of the day though, and Sakura let loose a thankful sigh as she fanned her reddened cheeks. Sitting in the sun all day was _not _her favorite pastime by far.

Her steps were leisurely when she entered the clearing, and she'd already resigned herself to going back to the Academy. After all, one more year wouldn't kill her, right? Still, the sight before her was interesting to say the least.

Naruto was tied to the middlemost post, feet dangling and flailing in a manner that wasn't unusual for him when he _wasn't _three feet off the ground. At least, when it came to the flailing part anyway. His fingers twitched where they were tied at his sides, and his head rolled around as he roared din that high-pitched voice of his.

"Why the hell am _I _the one tied to the post?! Sasuke failed too, dammit!" Naruto shouted, pinning his glare on his dark-haired teammate. "From what I see, the high and mighty Uchiha got his ass handed to him!"

The boy in question, who was staring darkly at the ground, with a rather colorful scrap blossoming on his left cheek, bristled. "Like you got even close to a bell, imbecile," the Uchiha growled, baring his teeth even as he charred the grass before him with his stare.

Kakashi stood with his nose in his orange book several yards in front of the boys. When they began squabbling, his shoulders fell forward as if he was sighing, and he closed his book with a sharp clap, catching the boys' attention. "Now, now, children," he scolded, slipping the book away. "You all failed either way, so what's it matter?" Kakashi's voice was saccharinely sweet.

"That's harsh," Naruto muttered, "You already left Sakura-chan out in no man's land, and now you're going to tell us we failed while she's not even here!"

Kakashi snorted, and both boys' looked up. "She's already here," the silver-haired man sighed.

Sakura, who was now entering the clearing, watched as they all turned to face her. Shock showed on Sasuke's face, and Naruto's tanned features twisted in confusion. "Sakura-chan, why are you covered in dirt?"

Everyone seemed to ignore him, and Kakashi tilted his head to the side and raised a brow. "How'd you get out?" He asked, taking in her dirty form. She sniffed indigently, picking dirt out from under her nails to hide her embarrassment.

"A _Kawarimi no Jutsu_," Sakura said sighing as she pulled her ruined braid around to inspect the frazzled ends. "And a lot of wiggling around in the dirt to get my hands close enough to each other to do it." She frowned when she thought of struggling in the dirt and being tormented by a particularly aggressive little swallow that had a fetish for pink hair.

"Well, besides that," Kakashi drawled, gesturing for Sakura to join the rest of Team Seven. "I can tell you all right now that there probably isn't a reason for you to return to the Academy." Silence hung in the air, an uncertain and hopeful buzz. "Because you all should probably quit trying to become shinobi!"

"Ch." Sasuke seemed to react the most visibly, fists clenching and face reddening instead of paling. Sakura eyed him wearily, and when his muscles coiled, she just couldn't bring herself to really care what stupid thing he'd do, after all, he'd ditched her, and so she'd ditch him.

Yet she flinched when he charged at Kakashi, nothing but his fists to arm him, she couldn't help that beat of fear when Sasuke was thrown down in a cloud of dust and a flurry of shouts. "What a punk," Kakashi muttered, his voice darker than Sakura had ever heard it. He looked up and locked eyes with Naruto and Sakura one at a time. "Are you underestimating ninja?" He asked.

There was no reply, and he continued. "Why do you think all of you young graduates were separated into teams? Why do you think you're training?" Sasuke attempted to raise his head, and Kakashi pushed it down easily with a foot. "You guys are completely missing the point of this whole test."

They all looked up at him, even Sasuke, though he just glanced out of the corner of his eye. "Point of the test?" Sakura muttered, brow furrowing as she tried to understand what Kakashi was saying.

When the Jonin didn't answer them, Naruto began to thrash again. "Ah! Damn it, tell us the answer already!"

"Teamwork," Kakashi stated coldly, staring them down with that unnerving intensity of his. They all sucked in breaths. "The three of you together could have gotten the bells."

"You set us up to fail," Sakura muttered, the reason there was only two bells dawning on her. Why else would a test with a failing percentage of sixty-six have bells for two out of three members? It just didn't add up.

"Even so," Kakashi sighed, "Naruto ran around like an idiot, Sasuke abandoned you all like trash, and Sakura didn't really do much of anything other than shove Sasuke out of the way, however chivalrous it may be." His words were dry, but both Sakura and Sasuke flushed further, while Naruto just fumed.

"Sometimes," Kakashi began, glancing down at Sasuke. "Surviving on your own is impossible, and while individual skill is important as a ninja, teamwork will end up saving your life and your teammates as well."

He slid a kunai knife out of his pouch, flipping it around in his hand in a nimble, effortless way. As soon as he gripped it, he locked gazes with Sakura, a gleaming sort of slyness in his eyes.

The blade glinted merrily in the midday sun as it lined up against Sasuke's vulnerable neck, appraising her expression and ignoring Sasuke's renewed struggling. "Kill Naruto or I'll kill Sasuke."

Heavy silence hung in the air as Naruto gaped helplessly; Sasuke began to outright panic, his eyes wild, though he never once looked at her. Yet even Kakashi stilled when outright laughter burst forth from Sakura, uninhibited and truly entertained.

"_That _is the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. Sensei, thanks for lightening up my day," She chuckled, wiping at her eyes. "But honestly, Naruto's been kinder to me than Sasuke has, and he ditched me while I was practically buried, so I'm going to have to say _no _to that little request."

Even the birds seemed to quiet.

* * *

_When dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bustling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity._

_-Dale Carnegie_

* * *

**_Translations in order of appearance:_**

_Dattebayo= Naruto's catchphrase, something along the lines of 'you know?' I was just _not _fond of 'believe it!' so I'm using the original.___

_Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu= Fire Release: Grand Fireball Jutsu_

_Doton: Shinjū Zanshu no Jutsu= Earth Release: Head Hunter Jutsu_

_Kawarimi no Jutsu= Body Replacement Jutsu (Substitution)_

**A/N: GO LOOK AT MY POLL! GO! NOW I TELL YOU! **That is all.


End file.
